‘Africa Time’ aka patience is a virtue (From The Northern Echo)

‘Africa Time’ aka patience is a virtue

5:14pm Monday 19th July 2010 in Reader Blogs

The wind is up today. It’s blowing sand and dust in little gusts along my street. Doesn’t seem to bother the rather flea-bitten dog who’s blissfully snoozing under the scant shade of the mimosa tree opposite my Bachelorette Pad.

I reckon the rain’s on its way. I can smell it. It would certainly be a relief if the temperature dropped a few degrees. Senegal’s into the start of the Rainy Season…but that doesn’t always mean rain…just soaring temperatures and a claustrophobic humidity which leaves you inhaling thick air, with a trickle of sweat running down your back. And just when you need them most (hmm!), with the Rainy Season comes power cuts – and lots of them.

Patience is wearing thin in Dakar. And in my flat. Since the end of the World Cup, cuts are becoming virtually a daily event…and sometimes lasting more than 24 hours. The country’s sole provider Senelec has been dubbed ‘Coupelec’ (Cut-elec). Funny though…whenever my neighbourhood is (barely) lit by candles glowing on wooden shop counters and mobile phone torches bobbing through the sandy streets…I look up to Ouakam’s hillside where the President’s new Statue of African Renaissance stands, costing a reported 17 million pounds. It’s always beautifully illuminated.

The frustration is getting too much for some. There were riots in some parts of the city last night. Young men burned tyres. The police were brought in. I wasn’t there to see, thank goodness, but I have witnessed their ready use of tear gas and rubber bullets (that time it was on students protesting about their dwindling grants).

Day-to-day, patience is usually found in abundance in Senegal. Indeed, the ability to wait is an absolute national necessity. The majority of people are between an hour and a day late for appointments. “C’est l’Heure Africaine” goes the running joke, “It’s Africa Time”. Learning just to chill, chat and watch the world go by is a must. Rather alien to the West’s ‘gotta get it done’ mentality. Not easy either when you actually do need to get stuff done! You slowly learn, after a dozen vein-poppingly stressful interludes, that it’s best to manage down your expectations. Maybe it’ll get done today...or tomorrow...or next week. This is lethal for a seasoned procrastinator like me.

The reasons behind this great lateness? I’d say a mixture of masla - a Senegalese cultural code which avoids hurting others’ feelings and equates to people promising you the world! - and social pressures (the constant round of religious ceremonies, weddings and funerals which are big deals here, plus the relatives who frequently ask for favours). There are also the myriad challenges of getting from A to B…though I’ll get to that another time. But despite feeling frenetic at times, life does trot along at a seemingly slower pace...or at least, people take the time to greet each other and ask after health, the family etc. It feels good. Virtually no one is anonymous and isolated. It feels more respectful of each human being. So, I have a party to get ready for tonight. One great thing about Dakar is its nightlife. You can be standing on a balcony, drinking tequila of a Tuesday night with a roomful of people from literally a dozen different countries. I’m willing the power to stay on…and the water. It’s not uncommon to find me squatting by the toilet bowl, hand mirror on the seat propped up against a shampoo bottle, mobile phone torch in one hand (or clamped between my teeth), mascara wand in the other, cursing to myself “How can one stay fabulous in these conditions?!”

Patience, patience.