When he spoke of the 'long past history, Mbiti (1969:23) began by saying that: "In African tradition thought there is no concept of history moving 'forward' towards a future climax…" he continues by noting that: "History has micro-time that is to say (limited time: Sasa) and macro-time and that is to say (unlimited time: Zamani)." For Mbiti, the long past history, moves from the limited time to the unlimited time. Therefore, to think of the long past, is like looking behind and reflecting about the past events encountered by an individual or group or community, instead of looking forward to the future. So to him, we should not dwell on the past, but attain the strength and ability to gaze on what is to come (the future). 

Moreover, the past are meaningful to African person, which is why Ledwaba (2019) in explaining how an African embraces the long past, he said: "Africans always look back on their pat. They miss their past so much that they even wish the past could be repeated." It becomes clearer that the past is always seen as long past that will never be forgotten. Following the boo by Mphahlele (1996:66) of African folk tales, majority of them starts by these words: "Kudala dala, ngoko ubomi babuselula, kulula nokuphila" - "Kgale-kgale bogolo-golo mola bophelo bo sale bonolo…" translate (Long ago when life was so simple and easy to be lived). Indeed an African reflects going backwards, in reflecting on the past. But, that does not mean automatically that an African has no sense of the future at all. An African may reflect deep such that proverbs come out of those proverbs, which some have a very deep meaning on their own.

The other impact of long past history to Africans it is conspicuous when an African lost the loved one. Mbiti again (1966:25) continues to emphasize the essential history to an African on the concept of death as he masterfully said about the dead person: "He is remembered by relatives and friends who knew him in this life and have survived him." The outstanding scholar further says that: "They recall him by name, he is not really dead: he is alive. I call him the living-dead." It is absolute that Mbiti had a valid point, because in the IsiXhosa culture, when the elders (parents) in this case, name you after the dead person, they expect you to imitate, act like the deceased. The family members even relate to you exactly the same way they related to the deceased. To sum up, indeed Africans have the long past on which time and again they reflect upon as to learn and only reflect on it. 

Mbiti's African time as: The Limited Present: 

It is tricky to understand the concept of the limited present by Mbiti. However, as he 'Mbiti' has explained above that foe African time does not go forwardly but backward. That is what makes the present limited. The present is limited to the past and to be actual present, they cannot go the future because going to the future is like going forward. On his critical analysis of Mbiti's concept of time, Moreau (1971:54) also understood Mbiti's present as limited when he said that: "For Mbiti, what is taking place now no doubt unfolds the future, but once an event has taken place, it is no longer in the future but the present and the past only."

Furthermore, the present is limited for an African, perhaps he is not worried about the future. Again in the IsiXhosa language there are words which goes as thus: "Iliwa elikude, likwenza unxanwe ngakumbi."- "Sediba sa kgole se bolaisha lenyora" translate (The well that is far will make you thirsty even more). It is clear that even though some philosophers saw (Mbiti) as generalising concept of time based on his community, that Mbiti is right when he said that the fact that an African is limited. Mbiti (1969:19) continues to substantiate his argument about the fact that an African's present is limited by saying: "Since time is a composition of events, people cannot and do not reckon it in vacuum. Numerical numbers, with one or two possible exception does not exist in African traditional societies as far as I know." Looking at the purpose of the numerical calendar, the main aim is to plan for the future events and that does not exist for African accordance to Mbili. The focus of an African however, is the present that future that is and the actual present and the past. 

To add on, Ledwaba (2019) to a certain extent agrees with Mbiti on the notion of the limited present because he also said that an African has always enjoyed himself because he had everthing he needed for survival. He never thought of the future things such as investments, loan etcetera. Rather he is at peace because his land provided every desire. Today the bissue of looking at the long term goals is being implemented because Western people took what belonged to Africans. They share resources and obviously they are enough, hence Africans are planning for the future. However, for Mbiti the future is only a short term.

Above all, even Wiredu (2004:8) said that for Mbiti even if an African knows that child after ten years will marry someone, an African is only aware of that even. But he will never start preparing for it, because it is not regarded as what an African calls the future. The worry of an African is the present that he regards as limited. 

In short, Mbiti's present is truly limited. Moreover, the evidence that is found in the life and history of an African makes the thinking of Mbiti to believe to a certain extent. 

Mbiti's African time as" The Unknown Future.

When the future is unknown, it is easy to say there is no future at all. That is why some philosophers after they engaged the work of Mbiti, on the concept of time, they concluded by saying that an African has no future or sense of the future. 

His concept about the future it was vividly explained when Coetzee (2003:221) started by quoting Mbiti saying: "future does not exist beyond a few months…" It is a clear indication that the future to an African according to Mbiti is the unknown one. However, the future he is referring to is the one of western people. Even Wiredu (2004:9) explains that what Mbiti means by the unknown future as he said: "What has not yet happened or is not happening or has no likelihood of immediate occurrence falls into the category. Of what he calls 'No-time.'" What he basically means is that an event is not certain to happen any time sooner thanq2wa two years, is not part of the future. It does not exist because for him African's maximum year for planning is two years. That is why Mbiti regarded the future of an African unknown.

However, that does not mean that an African has no future as the next topic shall embark on. Mbiti acknowledges that an African is always aware of the future events that are certain to happen such as death. When he said that the future is remains unknown, he simply meant that an African does not give an attention to the "distant future" (Ikuenobe, 2006:44). Again there is a saying in IsiXhosa that says: "Uyise kufuneka agqithise ubulumko kunyana wakhe phambi kokuba alandulele eli, aye kwizinyanya". Translate in Northern Sotho will read as thus: "Tate o swanetse go tlogela morwa wa gagwe bohlale a see nabo badimong." (The father should impart his wisdom to his son before he could go with it to the ancestors). This saying also it shows that though an African is not concerned about the future but is aware of it. For they know that if the son gets the wisdom from his will also hand it over to the next generation. 

Furthermore, on the point on distant future in Africa context, Ledwaba (2019), in one of his lectures said that "In an African language there is no single word that means years. An African has words such as 'namhlanje' meaning (today) 'izolo' meaning (yesterday), izol'elinye' meaning (a dasy before), 'ngoms'omnye' meaning (a day after tomorrow) and 'veki' meaning a (week)". Consequently, all these words are not referring to the future that is distant, but that which is near. So, Mbiti (1990:24) on the concept of the unknown future, acknowledges that some people misunderstood him, he concluded by saying: "Those who accuse me of not recognising a future dimension of time, have simply failed to see where I stated clearly that there is a future dimension of time, but that people do not project their day-to-day thinking into a distant mathematical future". 

In summary, Mbiti's concept of the unknown distant future is clearly understood. Even most African languages dully agree with Mbiti that there is a future for an African. It will be a misunderstanding of Mbiti to say that, he meant that an African has no sense of the future. 

Mbiti being the pioneer of coining that concept of time in an African context, surely, there should be those who do not agree with his theory. He was opposed by an Akan philosopher who goes by the name Kwame Gyekye. He strongly disagreed with Mbiti particularly of the concept of the unknown future. Gyekye substantiated his argument with valid reasons too. 

Gyekye (1995:170) begins by opposing the theory of Mbiti that states that, time is just a "series of events", meaning that without events, for Africans there is no time, as he said: "The Akan thinkers consider time as a concrete reality, associated with change and growth." Moreover, Gyekye had every right to oppose Mbiti's theory because he was quoted by Muko (2013:19) saying that: "Man is not a slave of time, instead he 'makes' as much as he want… When foreigners, especially from Europe and America come to Africa and see people sitting down somewhere without, evidently, doing anything, they often remark 'These Africans waste their time by just sitting and idle'". It clear that, Mbiti was not aware that the Akan thinkers vied the concept of time differently.
Moreover, Gyekye differs with Mbiti because for Akan philosophy, human person participates within time while for Mbiti time is created by the events which an African participates in. that is why Gyekye (1995:171) made this distinction when he said: "Time is to be associated with change, process, and events. But this statement must not take to imply that it is these phenomena that generate consciousness of time. On contrary, these phenomena occur within time." Therefore, for Gyekye even if there is no event or change what is called time will exist as he said that it is a concrete reality. 

Gyekye continues to critique Mbiti on the concept of time. This time arouse is concerning the future of an African. As Mbiti indicated that the future of an African is unknown, Gyekye (1995:173) in contrary said: "In Akan thought, it is not events that compose time, it is not events that generate the awareness of the existence of the time." He continues to strongly oppose Mbiti by saying: "If that were the case, all talk about the future in Akan language and thought would be nonsense." In other words, Akan thinking is totally different to an African of Mbiti.
Another dimension of the future according to Gyekye (Akan) is that, the future is actual, while Mbiti the future is potential. Again in opposing Mbiti, Gyekye (1995:175) begins by noting that: "Mbiti says: 'People have little or no active interest in events that lie in the future beyond, at most two years from now.' This statement is not true of the Akans." He made it clear that whatever Mbiti said about time of an African, was contradicting the concept of time of Akan society.

In conclusion, Gyekye in so many ways opposed Mbiti. If Mbiti is cruised so much, his theory needs critical analysis. 

A critical Analysis on Mbiti's Concept of Time:

It is without doubt that the theory of time according to Mbiti, he realised that Mbiti's thought is sceptical about it. In this section the aim is to analyse his theory. Furthermore, other thinkers are pointing out some hypothetical statements argument towards Mbiti's theory. 

Firstly, when Gkekye was critically analysing the theory of Mbiti, he realised that Mbiti has an element of truth in his assertions, however. But the main problem encountered by Gkekye was that Mbiti's theory has fallacy of generalisation. In analysing Mbiti, Gyekye said: "My objection is to Mbiti's generalisation of concept derived from just two local African languages to the whole of the African peoples." Truly Gyekye sounds to be correct as he has evidently argued the conclusions reached by Mbiti about Africans. 

Secondly, Moreau (1971:44) analysed the concept of the future according to Mbiti. He tried to indicate that to say that Africans don't have strong concern of the future, it is a problem. That is why he said" "Traditional Western techniques of evangelisim presuppose a strong concern for the future in their emphasis on their destiny." He continues by analysing the concept of African future deeper in a more religious way, saying: "Whether the motivation is to avoid Hell or to get to Heaven, the focus of unknown respondent."

In summary, the concept of time by Mbiti is an interesting and a leanring cave for young African philosophers, and those who argue that Africa has no philosophy. Even other thinkers have shown that it is very musch controversial. In this work, the focus as it has been shown above that was to demonstrate what Mbiti meant by African time consisting of thr long past, the limited present and the unknown future. Furthermore, one has indicated how Gyekye who became the dominant opposing party opposed or to some extent rejected the theory of Mbiti on the same concept. A critical analysis on Mbiti by other thinkers is shown at a later stage of this research. To sum up, this work truly shows that African philosophy is a very interesting reality that should be pursued by everyone who identifies himself as an African.

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Gyekye, K. 1995. An Essay on African philosophical Thought: the Akan conceptual scheme. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Ikuenobe, P. 2006. Philosophical Perspectives on Communalism and Morality in African Traditions. Lahman: Lexington Books.

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Mbiti, J. S. 1990. African Religions and Philosophy. 2ND Edition London: Heinemann Education Books Ltd.

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