What Is Time When Time Doesn’t Have Time?

Who remembers asking their loved ones about a point in time, and the answer was an event reference? Writing this article, I am taken aback by how many of our ancestors used events as calendar dates.  

This is when a grandchild asked, “Gogo, when were you born?” and the response would be “ngempi kaKhandampondo,” without reference to a specific date. With the help of history books, it is easier now to tell the period, but not the date. It shows that purpose matters more than punctuality.  

Gogo’s response sparks a conversation where emotions and questions are introduced. “What happened in that period?” they ask. What follows after that is a conversation that lives beyond the clock. It is a moment where a relationship is built and savoured, where stories shape lineage and wisdom is passed from generation to generation. 

It is for such reasons that Castle Milk Stout sees African Time differently. When waiting isn’t wasting time, but a concept of getting ready to receive more with purpose. Where the longest conversations are the most valuable because people won’t remember the clock, but rather the emotions, old memories and lessons. 

Such conversations make the realisation that Africans knew time before the clock was introduced. Through nature, we knew time by seasons, harvest cycles and cattle behaviour. Through community, we shared cultural rhythms, behaviours, structure and decisions that shaped the nation.  

When time doesn't have time, what remains are moments worth remembering. In many African traditions, richness was never counted in minutes; it was measured in the depth of the conversation, the strength of the community, and the stories carried from one generation to the next. That's why the richest moments can never be rushed. They must be savoured.