Lets put an end to this Igbo problem!!!


there are some issues currently circulating the net,


please click here

http://www.nigerianviews.com/osu-cultural-heritage-or-bondage/#more-27

Are u trying to invite us to your blog.

U r missing d point
1st its not my blog
its an issue i feel needs serious attention and debate
and d only way i think it can b handled is if its addressed publicly

methinks the nairaland family can get behind dis and discuss it, does this make sense in d 21st century??

copy and paste the issue here on this thread and we'll discuss it here on nairaland.

edited

aren't there enough threads on this already.
well nairaland needs more topics.

Is descrimination unique to Igbos?
This osu thing is no way like what many non Igbos say.
I spent all my life in Igbo land and cannot tell you one family designated as an osu
not even one

Nobody is preventing anyone from drinking water or existing.
It is no way like I've read here on nairaland

people must have something to say I suppose
Suitors fail to show up for several reasons,osu may just be what the people in the story held unto.
The man changed his mind period.
I've heard of marriages that did not hold because gossip had it that the woman was epileptic or her grandfather was schizophrenic.

babyosisi:

Is descrimination unique to Igbos?
This osu thing is no way like what many non Igbos say.
I spent all my life in Igbo land and cannot tell you one family designated as an osu
not even one

How odd. So how come those of us who do not live in Alaigbo have seen families designated as osu & have even witnessed the discrimination they face from their Igbo brethren?

the reality of things is that these are real issues, unfortunately they don't make part of our day to day conversations that’s y perhaps babyosisi has not come across anyone.
Don’t kno if your ibo but try bringing up d topic at home before your folks and tell me how the conversation goes…or if your really bold bring it up in a public place…u never know who is right?
I know people that hav bin discriminated against jst because of this…a friend was actually denied a job opportunity from a fellow ibo guy just because majority of peeps frm his side (as in villa) are even tho he is not…
But then again mayb its just in his mind and he just didn’t meet up wit certain criteria…but y should someone even start to feel that way

It's a remnant of a throw-back culture still loosely observed in some Igbo communities. There are still some discrimination especially in marriages but it's more or less an individual family call. It's not as pronounced as some Igbo detractors will make you believe and has obviously lost most of it's efficacy over the years. There has been communities in Igbo land, who through government support physically destroyed some of the dieties whose adherents promote this hideous practice. It's a practice that is bound to become socially irrelevant, because of the Igbo man's adoration for individual accomplishments.

This osu practice is alive and well in igboland. Truth be told.

Need I remind the Mr. Seun that the title of this thread need to be changed. It dangerously comes close to the Nazi call to put an end to the Jewish problem.

achike:

the ogboni,witchcrafts,ogbomo-ogbomo ,voodoos, and juju worships is still going on in yorubaland as will speak.

good comparison

achike:

the ogboni,witchcrafts,ogbomo-ogbomo ,voodoos, and juju worships is still going on in yorubaland as will speak.

babyosisi:

good comparison

Really?? And you won't find witchcraft or kidnapping (a.k.a gbomo-gbomo), or juju in your own neck of the woods, or right in your backyard? Puh-leeze!! Get real.

Every part of Nigeria has something negative in their region.

laudate:

Really?? And you won't find witchcraft or kidnapping (a.k.a gbomo-gbomo), or juju in your own neck of the woods, or right in your backyard? Puh-leeze!! Get real.

Every part of Nigeria has something negative in their region.

laudate I only said that to say that there is good and bad in all races and ethnicities.
There are caste systems of some sort in all soceities.
It's not good,not acceptable but it's not unique to any group.

How odd. So how come those of us who do not live in Alaigbo have seen families designated as osu & have even witnessed the discrimination they face from their Igbo brethren?

Maybe you have a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people.Like those white people looking out for all the bad things Blacks are up to

Lived in Igboland for 22 years,never saw or witnessed Osu.I did first hear about it in my Social Studies(Junior Sec) and subsequently heard or read about it.I still don't know any Osu.More likely to hear about it on NL than in real life.

Its a shame it still goes on.Its immoral for the victims of the practice to go through it.The only good thing that comes out of it is that it allows folks like you to use it as a whipping stick on Igbos

I-man:

Maybe you have a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people.Like those white people looking out for all the bad things Blacks are up to

Lived in Igboland for 22 years,never saw or witnessed Osu.I did first hear about it in my Social Studies(Junior Sec) and subsequently heard or read about it.I still don't know any Osu.More likely to hear about it on Nairaland than in real life.

Its a shame it still goes on.Its immoral for the victims of the practice to go through it.The only good thing that comes out of it is that it allows folks like you to use it as a whipping stick on Igbos

several others including myself 9to5 and donzman have said the same thing but those out to find faults will always find them even where they don't exist.
I married a man not from my own area of Igboland,the word Osu never came into any conversations from me ,him or any of our parents.
I have brothers and sisters that are married from other parts of Igboland never heard an investigation into anyones osuship status.

I'm sure it goes on and it's deplorable but it is nothing like i've read here where they claim osus cannot buy and sell in market places,which marketplaces?and who is preventing anyone from doing so?

The first time I remember hearing the term osu,I was about 14 years old and I still camnnot to this day identify one osu that I've come across.

by blackmamba

It's a remnant of a throw-back culture still loosely observed in some Igbo communities. There are still some discrimination especially in marriages but it's more or less an individual family call. It's not as pronounced as some Igbo detractors will make you believe and has obviously lost most of it's efficacy over the years. There has been communities in Igbo land, who through government support physically destroyed some of the dieties whose adherents promote this hideous practice. It's a practice that is bound to become socially irrelevant, because of the Igbo man's adoration for individual accomplishments.

Only an Igboman would make this statement.
If anything the Igboman of today ought to be patted on the back that a devilish culture that designates some people as lower class,a culture alive and kicking in the time of our forefathers is basically becoming a thing of the past and that individual families,not communities now have a say as to who they chose as their inlaws.

Those that maintain this devilish stand are in the very negligible minority.
Does that make it okay?,certainly not.
Has progress been made,absolutely!!
Enough progress has been made such that those of us born after the civil war can boldly say that we do not know any "osu families " and that our parents have never told us not to mix with certain people because they are "outcasts"
That is tremendous progress and ought to be commended!
but the enemies of the Igboman must have something to hang onto .

Who pays attention to Laudate anymore?. . .It has been established, this individual is to Igbos as anti-semites are to Jews, always looking for ways to criticize.

It's always non-Igbos who jump out at this Osu thing out of sensationalization by the likes of Laudate. We also had some poster come on Nairaland to preach this and that about him/her being Osu, only to go and ask and find out that he/she is not. Obviously this individual does not know anything about Igboland but hears the likes of Laudate sensationalizing the issue and assumes that because his/her name is Nwosu or something, that he/she is an osu.

Donzman:

Who pays attention to Laudate anymore?. . .It has been established, this individual is to Igbos as anti-semites are to Jews, always looking for ways to criticize.

It's always non-Igbos who jump out at this Osu thing out of sensationalization by the likes of Laudate. We also had some poster come on Nairaland to preach this and that about him/her being Osu, only to go and ask and find out that he/she is not. Obviously this individual does not know anything about Igboland but hears the likes of Laudate sensationalizing the issue and assumes that because his/her name is Nwosu or something, that he/she is an osu.

Hehehe. . . typical dodgy Donzman strategy. Blame Laudate for all the problems in Alaigbo, that are listed on nairaland. Cool! The fact that other Igbo folks have come out strongly to say it exists, and they are aware of it, doesn't matter. But if Laudate mentions the word, boom! Take the easy way out and blame it on Laudate. Nothing wey person no go see for here! Chei!

I-man:

Maybe you have a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people.Like those white people looking out for all the bad things Blacks are up to

Lived in Igboland for 22 years,never saw or witnessed Osu.I did first hear about it in my Social Studies(Junior Sec) and subsequently heard or read about it.I still don't know any Osu.More likely to hear about it on Nairaland than in real life.

Its a shame it still goes on.Its immoral for the victims of the practice to go through it.The only good thing that comes out of it is that it allows folks like you to use it as a whipping stick on Igbos

Strange, you never saw it before. Contrary to your impression, I never went looking for it. An Igbo colleague of mine wanted to get married to a fellow Igbo guy in another dept. So when her mum came to Lagos from the village and she introduced the guy, all hell almost broke loose. The mum wept & wailed that her daughter wanted to disgrace her. The rest of us didn't understand what the furore was all about. So we made enquiries. And that turned out to be our first encounter with that word 'osu'.

On this site, a number of Igbo folks have made allusions to the practice. In fact, one of them not only acknowledged that it was still thriving, but replied that "it was a fate, worse than death." His words, not mine. If in your 22-year sojourn in Alaigbo, you never encountered the issue, it doesn't mean others haven't. Some of those who have acknowledged the practice include the following:

Douzy on « #3 on: September 15, 2006, 06:10 PM »

Sbucareer « #20 on: September 17, 2006, 10:51 AM »

mamaput « #28 on: September 17, 2006, 12:07 PM »

in the thread: Would You Marry An Osu? The thread is also in the Culture section. Read their responses. And tell us what you think. Maybe, they too have a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people, to use your own words.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-23527.0.html

Another thread titled Re: I'm About To Marry An 'Outcast' (Osu) Guy, also talked about the same problem. People like Saintchux « #19 on: April 16, 2007, 10:17 AM » and Stellose « #52 on: April 20, 2007, 04:27 PM » also made different comments about the subject. They were (and still are) Igbo. Was it Laudate again, that used "a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people", to use your own words?

@Laudate
What you have to recognise,for someone who once claimed to be a keen observer of Igbos,is that Igboland has a diversity in cultural practices.What may seem normal to one Igbo person may be totally unheard of to another.So when  I or Babyosisi tells you the following

I spent all my life in Igbo land and cannot tell you one family designated as an osu
not even one

You don't respond in the following manner

How odd.   So how come those of us who do not live in Alaigbo have seen families designated as osu & have even witnessed the discrimination they face from their Igbo brethren?

For someone who portrays herself as knowledgeable,there is nothing remotely odd about this.

Nobody here is saying that Osu doesn't exist entirely.We are simply saying its ridiculous verging on the ignorant,to claim that its "odd" for an Igbo person not to know of an Osu.It sure does exist in some parts of Igboland but there is nothing remotely odd in claiming ignorance of an Osu or even in claiming that its not widespread since many of us Igbos who lived long in Igbo land can't identify a single Osu .

To pretend otherwise is either a result of pretentious claims of knowledge in the midst of utter ignorance or simply barely hidden spite.Let me tell you what is  odd,the fact that,like on this thread,most of those who claim to know about the Osu are like you non-Igbos.Now,that is really odd .I guess its the aforementioned keeness 

I-man:

@Laudate
What you have to recognise,for someone who once claimed to be a keen observer of Igbos,is that Igboland has a diversity in cultural practices.What may seem normal to one Igbo person may be totally unheard of to another.So when  I or Babyosisi tells you the followingYou don't respond in the following mannerFor someone who portrays herself as knowledgeable,there is nothing remotely odd about this.

Nobody here is saying that Osu doesn't exist entirely.We are simply saying its ridiculous verging on the ignorant,to claim that its "odd" for an Igbo person not to know of an Osu.It sure does exist in some parts of Igboland but there is nothing remotely odd in claiming ignorance of an Osu or even in claiming that its not widespread since many of us Igbos who lived long in Igbo land can't identify a single Osu .

Oh, thanks for the information. But please note: Your own reality or the things that happen in your own world, are so different from the encounters I have had, in mine. The initial impression I got from your posts, was that the 'Osu' issue, wasn't even a reality, because you stated that you had never seen one. No one is arguing with that. But then you turn round & say "Laudate, you must have been looking out for it", as if I was out to just dig up the flaws of the Igbo, or as if this was something others' hadn't even talked about before!  If I see something which you haven't seen, would it be right to lie & say that I haven't seen it, too? In your view it may be odd. In mine, it is not. And I am sorry, but I really can't tailor my responses, to suit your pre-concieved ideas. That would be pretence, wouldn't it? Or what name would you call it?

I-man:

To pretend otherwise is either a result of pretentious claims of knowledge in the midst of utter ignorance or simply barely hidden spite.Let me tell you what is  odd,the fact that,like on this thread,most of those who claim to know about the Osu are like you non-Igbos.Now,that is really odd .I guess its the aforementioned keeness 

No one is pretending. And in fact, if anyone has laid any claim to pretence, it is you!! Please go through this site again, and carefully take note of all those who have spoken about the[i] 'Osu' [/i] problem. Are they ALL non-Igbo, like you want us to believe? 

Most of those who claim to know about the 'Osu' problem are not the non-Igbos. On the contrary, the non-Igbo who bring it up, do so because of what they have heard from their Igbo friends & counterparts. In seeking enlightenment, they come to this site to ask more questions. And different points are raised, by both the Igbo & non-Igbo alike. People go away with a better understanding of the issue, than they had before. What I have found most interesting, is that the responses from the non-Igbo, usually seem to be : "I really couldn't care less." But the Igbo folks[i] (with the exception of a few),[/i] often warn the posters to be careful, or make dire predictions of what would happen, if they go ahead and marry an 'osu' person. Now whose fault is that?

The initial impression I got from your posts, was that the 'Osu' issue, wasn't even a reality, because you stated that you had never seen one. No one is arguing with that.

If this was the initial impression,"that Osu issue wasn't even a reality",that you gathered from my posts,I must question your powers of comprehension or the lack of one.Let me reproduce my first post

Maybe you have a particularly keen eye for the unsavoury aspects of Igbo people.Like those white people looking out for all the bad things Blacks are up to
Lived in Igboland for 22 years,never saw or witnessed Osu.I did first hear about it in my Social Studies(Junior Sec) and subsequently heard or read about it.I still don't know any Osu.More likely to hear about it on Nairaland than in real life.
Its a shame it still goes on.Its immoral for the victims of the practice  to go through it.The only good thing that comes out of it is that it allows folks like you to use it as a whipping stick on Igbos

Now who in the world with a basic grasp of grammar would have drawn the conclusion,reading the above,that the Osu issue "wasn't even a reality".?

But then you turn round & say "I must have been looking out for it", as if I was out to just dig up the flaws of the Igbo, or as if this was something others' hadn't even talked about before!   If I see something which you haven't seen, would it be right to lie & say that I haven't seen it, too?  In your view it may be odd. In mine, it is not. And i will not tailor my responses, to suit your pre-concieved ideas.

You blither a lot   The question we are dealing with is the scale of the Osu issue and not whether it exists at all.By describing as "odd", an Igbo woman's assertion that she had never seen an Osu,you give the impression that the Osu issue is so widespread,that it is odd for an Igbo person who lived in Igboland to have missed it.

My analogy to prejudiced white people is apt.Many prejudiced white people view all sorts of unwholesome practices by Blacks as widespread.For instance,we had a series of infanticides in London of African(DRC Congo) kids allegedly possesed by evil spirits.Some prejudiced white people deemed it odd anytime I told them I had no personal knowledge of an African kid being killed for being "possesed".They wanted to believe its widespread because they had seen the dead kids .One told me to stop being in denial.

Any self confessed "keen observer" of Igbos will know its not odd for some Igbos to be totally ignorant of Osu pratice.Unless of course,you are like the white colleagues in London who find it hard to put in perspective any bad thing they hear about Africans

I-man:

If this was the initial impression,"that Osu issue wasn't even a reality",that you gathered from my posts,I must question your powers of comprehension or the lack of one.Let me reproduce my first post
Now who in the world with a basic grasp of grammar would have drawn the conclusion,reading the above,that the Osu issue "wasn't even a reality".?

You can question whatever you like. You claimed you had never seen one. And then you wondered why it was only non-Igbo folks who had seen it. You stated in your previous post, that: "Lived in Igboland for 22 years,never saw or witnessed Osu. I did first hear about it in my Social Studies(Junior Sec) and subsequently heard or read about it.I still don't know any Osu.More likely to hear about it on Nairaland than in real life" Now do you remember that bit? The fact that you claim to have heard of it first in junior sec., without still seeing it, and also your claim that it was more likely to come up on nairaland, than in real life, shows that it wasn't a reality for you.

I-man:

You blither a lot  The question we are dealing with is the scale of the Osu issue and not whether it exists at all.By describing as "odd", an Igbo woman's assertion that she had never seen an Osu,you give the impression that the Osu issue is so widespread,that it is odd for an Igbo person who lived in Igboland to have missed it.

No. . .  I-man, I leave the blithering, to you. It is an art, in which you excel. And I will continue to describe it as 'odd,' that you haven't seen an osu person, because most of the Igbo folks I know, who do not even live in Alaigbo readily tell me that they know those who are 'osu' within their own respective communities! A few have even gone as far as to confirm that they know of whole villages in Igbo land, populated by 60% or 70% of 'osu' people. So if an Igbo woman who has spent most of her life inside (not outside) Alaigbo, says she hasn't seen an 'osu' person before, then she must have either lived a very sheltered life, or must be in some sort of denial, or she might even be 'blithering', to use your own words.

I-man:
My analogy to prejudiced white people is apt.Many prejudiced white people view all sorts of unwholesome practices by Blacks as widespread.For instance,we had a series of infanticides in London of African(DRC Congo) kids allegedly possesed by evil spirits.Some prejudiced white people deemed it odd anytime I told them I had no personal knowledge of an African kid being killed for being "possesed".They wanted to believe its widespread because they had seen the dead kids .One told me to stop being in denial.

Any self confessed "keen observer" of Igbos will know its not odd for some Igbos to be totally ignorant of Osu pratice.Unless of course,you are like the white colleagues in London who find it hard to put in perspective any bad thing they hear about Africans

Your analogy to white people doesn't hold much water, as it relates to this topic. All those white folks who claimed you were in denial, should have been given a history and/or geography lesson. Simply tell them, that the DRC Congo is to Nigeria, what Latvia in the former USSR, is to London. Simple.

Now back to the topic. In one breath, you claim that cultural practices vary across Igbo land, in the next breath you claim that "It sure does exist in some parts of Igboland but there is nothing remotely odd in claiming ignorance of an Osu." Make up your mind. So if cultural practices are so widely divergent across Igboland, why would it be 'odd' for someone to claim that he or she has seen it, even if he or she isn't resident in Alaigbo or if he or she is non-Igbo?

And if there is nothing remotely 'odd' in claiming ignorance of an Osu as you put it, why would you now have a problem with someone who says the initial impression gotten from your posts, was that the 'Osu' issue, wasn't even a reality? Oh, so those who have seen it are wrong, while those who haven't seen it, are right?

Laudate,it seems you really do enjoy going round in circles.
And somehow.you are always very prominent in these osu threads ready to tell any Igbo person that states anything different from you that they must somehow not be truthful enough.
For the last time.the osu issue is nothing like you try to portray.
It is fast dying and has been diminishing as the years go by

But since this seems to be your area of specialty,who am I to stop you from what makes you tick!
knock yourself out, girl

By the way laudate,I would like to know those villages you claim have 60 to 70 percent osu.
This will be an adult education for me.

Osu is nothing but a remnant of a pagan culture where one group claims superiority over another for whatever reason.
It is fast dying, and has been greatly reduced in significance,it has been outlawed legally by the Eastern Nigerian laws of 1956 and 1963 and denounced vehemently by all Churches in Igboland

I see Seun has made this frontpage news,let's await the Igbo haters and their contributions.

this stuffs are common wt da igbos.

the truth is osu still exists in igboland. Moreso its not written on anyone's face so u cant figure out one by looks or appearance. then coming to putting a stop to it, thats an impossibility, u can't change the minds of the people. Even in developed countries igbos still enforce it to the later. So for those who wonna put a stop to it i wish you all the best of luck. I for one dont like the osu thing, i feel for them but the truth is nowadays things are not the way they used to be. In the olden days, if for instance its raining and you run into an osu's house for shelter, you automatically become one, trust me thats how bad it was then. The only thing right now is that, its hard for an osu to marry a 'non-osu' if you like. I for one wouldn't marry an osu unless its a mistake cos my father warned me about it. Christianity would have solved it but even strong christians dont agree to marry an osu. why?

Gimmie an Osu woman,i go marry am.

No discrimination in heaven

Abeg make we stop this shitttttttttt,human being na human being

I heard that Osu system still exists in parts of Anambra and Imo. It is not a universal thing in those states. On the contrary, it is dead in Abia as a whole. Igbo culture varies across the spectrum. I know this from experience because I lived there for more than 20 years. In all my 30 years on earth, I am yet to see an Osu in person. It might be a myth afterall

It is not a myth, it does exist but it isn't as common and discriminatory as some people will have us believe. Sometimes, getting rich is enough to move you out of Osu. I haven't met one throughout my life in Nigeria, maybe it's because people from my area have some money to make.