Decolonisation and Time
Reshaping Africa's borders for sustainable ethnolinguistic nations based on historical and cultural continuity. Time zones can unify ethnic nations and lead to decolonization and economic prosperity.
The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 marked the beginning of the European scramble for Africa, which led to the partition of the continent into artificial borders that ignored ethnic and cultural boundaries. The legacy of this colonial era is still felt across Africa today, with many ethnic nations being divided by these borders. The importance of time zones in unifying these ethnic nations cannot be overstated.
Since we are talking about freedom, it is only fair that we unpack what this concept really entails. For a long time, we have thought about freedom as a socio-political and economic construct and the status of the illustrious children of liberty. While these elements constitute freedom, we must now broaden the conversation to include ‘spiritual’ freedom.
Those of us who were under the iron grip of colonial masters took on the worldview of those who roughshod over our ancestors, and this is where the subject of time comes in as we seek to overstand what freedom truly is. Time measurement is a tool of control. Beyond being a physical quantity, time is the metric by which life is measured and anyone who controls time or how you measure it controls life itself, because time is life.
Ancient Afrikans had a distinct philosophy on how time is to be measured, that is contrary to the now prevalent Eurasian methodology. While many would look down on the technologies that our Afrikan ancestors applied in measuring time; they often relied on elements in nature such as the sun, moon & stars and even the minstrel cockerel, and palm tree to tell time.
The European, it would seem, understands the criticality of lording their model of time on the colonised. We are living in the reality they have created, and this is a continuous tragedy of epic proportions. We must, as a matter of urgency, go back to re-discovering the sacred knowledge of how time really works. Whatever type of freedom that we get outside of spiritual freedom (time being a crucial element of that quantum-physics), we would merely be scratching the surface.
Previously in Beyond the Berlin Border - Restoring Africa's Nations and Civilisations, I argued the need to find a way to reshape Africa's borders to create a more sustainable, peaceful, and viable configuration. This can be achieved by allowing for the creation of Ethnolinguistic nations that are based on the historical and cultural continuity of interrupted or truncated civilizations. By recognizing and prioritizing the cultural and historical ties that bind communities together, we can create a more cohesive and harmonious society in Africa.
Time zones play a critical role in the social, economic, and political activities of nations around the world. They help to provide consistency and organization in the relating and scheduling of activities and events across all territories. The importance of time zones cannot be overstated, particularly in a continent as diverse as Africa, with hundreds of ethnic nations spanning across multiple countries. One such ethnic nation is the Yorùbá people, who occupy a contiguous territory across West Africa.
But why is time important, not just for the Yorùbá people, but for Africa's ethnic nations as a whole? One reason is that it could potentially pave the way for the complete decolonization of ethnic nations in Africa. The borders of many African countries were drawn by European colonizers without regard for the cultural and ethnic diversity of the continent's inhabitants. This has resulted in ethnic nations being split across multiple countries, causing conflicts and tensions.
Despite having 5 time zones until 1949, the Communist Party Chairman, Mao Zedong, decided that all of China was to use a standard Beijing Time, reclaiming Chinese unity and reality across all of China.
For instance, the Yorùbá people are one of many ethnic nations in Africa that have been split across multiple countries. The Yorùbá people in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo have had to navigate different time zones, currency, and legal systems, which can be a source of confusion and frustration. By adopting YLT as the standard time zone for Yorùbá territories across West Africa, the Yorùbá people can have a sense of unity and cohesion that transcends national boundaries. This could serve as a model for other ethnic nations in Africa to follow.
Moreover, the adoption of relevant time zones could potentially lead to the unification of split territories, and increase consciousness and cohesion of truncated and split civilisations. This would not only be a symbolic victory for ethnic nations that have been torn apart by colonialism, but it could also have practical benefits. For instance, it could facilitate the free movement of people and goods across current separating borders, leading to greater economic integration and development.
The nations and civilizations that suffered the same fate during the 1884/85 Berlin Conference need to redefine their reality to suit their unique cultural and ethnic identities/civilisations. This process is necessary not only to advance the argument for decolonization but also as a practical step towards dissolving the current borders that were arbitrarily imposed by colonial powers.
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