علم الزمن والوقت
In the early 1980s, I was fourteen years old back then, I spent the summer in Aïn Salah city, in the south of Algeria. It is one of the hottest places not only in Algeria, but in the whole world; which sometimes transcends 50 degrees Celsius, and I was surprised to see that the country is active only in the early time in the morning and the late time in the evening. Before 9 or 10 am, you can notice some business, administrative and educational activity. However, when the sun is shining in the sky, people get into their homes, administrations close their doors and turn on the heavy air conditioners, and as soon as it is the afternoon time, none walks in the street, unless for urgent matter or an errand.
One hour in the late afternoon, people start leaving their homes, and the city regains its activity and everyone goes to his work or runs his errands, in the meanwhile groups of people gather to drink tea together, these gatherings can be a kind of trade exchange, conclusion of deals or decision-making; this situation continues until late time at night, then people go to bed, and men often lie on the cool sand dunes, the best bed on earth, above which they spread a light bedsheet then sleep with the blessing of God.
Nevertheless, public institutions: schools and administrations are completely isolated from this system, as the work begins at eight am, exactly like the administrations in the north, and ends at four pm, only few people have time and interest to go; therefore, administrations during siesta time are empty, that you could go to one of them for necessary errand, you will find that the employees are falling into a deep sleep in their offices …
If things were taken seriously and if there is a will, Ministries in the capital would treat people’s matters in remote places, based on their needs, atmosphere, experience, history and geography. Importing a schedule in “business administration” and applying it completely without hesitation or criticism reminds me of a scene I still remember from my childhood memory:
It is about the fact that big shops called “Souk El-Fellah or farmers’ market” which were everywhere in Algeria, as a typical type of market during the communist era, as the goods were distributed according to a mathematical division, that has nothing to do with humanitarian or cultural need; for instance, you could find a boat sold in Aïn Salah, and none dares to buy it; in the meanwhile, people in Oran fight to buy a boat from the farmers’ market; or you could find a well engine in the capital, while people in Ghardaïa are in a desperate need for it.
This subject was dealt with few years ago, and it was decided to advance the working hours in the south by one hour comparing to the cities in the north. Such procedure is worth appreciating, but it remains substandard, because the objective is to accomplish the purposes and spread goodness throughout their lives.
Stereotyping in thought, motivation, and spirit… is fatal to both the human being and the country.
Dr. Mohamed Babaami
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As part of the appeal to establish time science.
Written by: Dr. Mohamed Babaami
Translated by: Toufik Achour
Date:15/08/2023
The Article title in Arabic: فجر عين صالح (القارة الجزائرية لا تدار من مكاتب مكيفة)
