Tony Uchenna wrote:

A vote against discriminatory practices in the name of Osu caste in south east Nigeria.

Osu caste system is an obnoxious practice among the Igbo in south east Nigeria which has refused to go away despite the impact of Christianity, education and civilization, and the human rights culture.

Many people have condemned the system which has traumatized many innocent people but the problem persists. But one fact is that the Osu system of discrimination is an outdated tradition with no basis for its continued practice and observance in the contemporary Igbo society.

Traditionally, there are two classes of people in Igboland; the Nwadiala and the Osu.

The Nwadiala literally meaning ‘sons of the soil’. They are the masters while the Osu are the people dedicated to the gods; so they are regarded as slaves, strangers, outcasts and untouchables.

Chinua Achebe in his book, No longer At Ease, aptly describes Osu thus: “Our fathers in their darkness and ignorance called an innocent man Osu, a thing given to the idols, and thereafter he became an outcast, and his children, and his children’s children forever”.

The Osus are treated as inferior human beings and kept in a state of permanent and irreversible disability; they are subjected to various forms of abuse and discrimination.

The Osu are made to live separately from the freeborn; they reside very close to shrines and market places.

The Osu are not allowed to dance, drink, hold hands, associate or have sexual relationship with the Nwadiala.

They are not even allowed to break kola nut at meetings or pour libation or pray to God on behalf of a freeborn at any community gathering.

It is believed that such prayers will bring calamity and misfortune.
According to human rights groups, some of the atrocities meted out against the Osu in Igboland
include: parents administering poison to their children, disinheritance, ostracism, organized attacks, heaping harvest offering separately in churches, denial of membership in social clubs, violent disruption of marriage ceremonies, denial of chieftaincy titles, deprivation of property and expulsion of wives.

The Osu caste discrimination is very pronounced in the area of marriage. An Osu cannot marry a freeborn. The belief is that any freeborn that marries an Osu defiles the family. So freeborn families are always up in arms against any of their members who wants to . marry an Osu.
They go to any length to scuttle the plan. Because of the Osu factor, marriages in Igboland are preceded by investigations– elders on both side travel to native villages to find out the social status of the other party. And if it is found that one of them is an Osu, the plan would be automatically abandoned.

Many marriage plans have been aborted, while married couples have been forced to divorce because of the Osu factor. Chinua Achebe also notes this in his book. When Okonkwo learns that his son wants to marry Clara, an Osu, Okonkwo says: “Osu is like a leprosy in the minds of my people. I beg of you my son not to bring the mark of shame and leprosy into your family. If you do, your children and your children’s children will curse you and your memory; you will bring sorrow on your head and on the heads of your children.”

Sometime last year, a young educated Igbo man, a successful business entrepreneur based in Atlanta (USA) had been engaged to be married to an Igbo lady, who was a medical doctor. The Igbo lady was already pregnant for the man. During the customary family introduction, it was discovered that the lady was an “Osu” and immediately the wedding arrangements were terminated. The lady gave birth to a baby boy and now lives in Houston (USA) as a single parent. The Igbo man has refused any form of contact with the lady and his child with all the education, western culture, civilization and exposure to Christian teachings.

And not too long ago, I met a lady in a friend’s house in Lagos. I was told that she was engaged to a young man from Imo State. Months later, I learnt that the marriage plan had been cancelled because the lady was said to be an Osu.
There have been several instances like that where young men and women of Igbo extraction have suffered emotional trauma as a result of this cultural malaise. And now the question is, why is it that this cultural practice has refused to go away even among educated Igbos? The reason is not far fetched. The practice of Osu caste system is hinged on religion, supernaturalism and theism. And Igbos are deeply religious and theistic people.

Osu are regarded as unclean or untouchable because they are (alleged to be) dedicated to the gods. So it is the dedication to the gods that makes the Osu status a condition of permanent and irreversible disability and stigma.

The discriminatory Osu practice involves inequality in freedom of movement and choice of residence, inequality in the right of peaceful association, inequality of residence, inquality in the right of peaceful association, inequality in the enjoyment of the right to marry and establish a family, (and) inequality in access to public office. That is the crux of the matter with Osu caste in Igboland. If one may ask, could a right exist if it is not enforced? To put it differently, can a right exist without a specific legislation that provides for its protection and remedies when violated? Oddly enough, the victims of the Osu system do not have any legal remedy in Igboland. And strangely, some people believe that the humiliating Osu caste system is a part of the Igbo culture nobody should tamper with.

The Osu case system in Igboland seems to have changed the meaning of life for the group of people branded Osu.
The maltreatment meted out to the Osu has forced many of them to migrate to other countries, many development projects abandoned, marriages dissolved and pregnancies terminated. In fact, so many crimes against humanity have been committed against individuals and groups in Igboland in the name of Osu.
The Osu caste system has caused communal strifes and wars between the Osu and the Nwadiala in Igboland. According to the United Nations definition, discrimination includes any conduct based on a distinction made on grounds of natural or social categories, which have no relation either to individual capacities or merits or to the concrete behavior of the individual person.

Based on the above, I suggest that something drastic has to be done to eradicate this obnoxious system. There is the urgent need for all Igbo leaders of thought, the traditional rulers, the governors, the clergymen and all the people that matter to come together and enact a law outrightly banning the system generally in Igboland as there is no basis for its continued existence.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/osu-caste-in-igboland/

Too long

jnrbayano:
Tony Uchenna wrote:

Osu caste system is an obnoxious practice among the Igbo in south east Nigeria which has refused to go away despite the impact of Christianity, education and civilization, and the human rights culture.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/osu-caste-in-igboland/

The continued irrational justification of barbaric oppression of indigenous igbo civilization by foreign invaders isn't helping your case.

I don't believe all this about the Osufrom Christian sources. I've read from some typical traditional Igbo sources and they speak of Osu as sacred, respected temple attendants

This is getting old.

wat discrimination? Rubbish.

The only ppl discriminated today are the poor.

PAGAN9JA:
This is getting old.

wat discrimination? Rubbish.

The only ppl discriminated today are the poor.

macof:
I don't believe all this about the Osufrom Christian sources. I've read from some typical traditional Igbo sources and they speak of Osu as sacred, respected temple attendants

they are discriminated against especially marriage wise. I'm Igbo . I know. Nauseating practice I'm totally against

Sigh... Yet another 'Osu' thread.

macof:
I don't believe all this about the Osufrom Christian sources. I've read from some typical traditional Igbo sources and they speak of Osu as sacred, respected temple attendants

"Osu" is as you have read. It's a terrible practice.

Seriously, something has to be done. Although they told us that it has been abolished long time ago but then the practice and the discrimination is still there.




Yes, it has been abolished but the fear of associating with them and the fear of what people will say, I believe is the reason why people still avoid getting in contact with them.

jnrbayano:


"Osu" is as you have read. It's a terrible practice.

is dat so? tell me abt it

Jennydoris:


Yes, it has been abolished but the fear of associating with them and the fear of what people will say , I believe is the reason why people still avoid getting in contact with them.

There you go. I believe herein lies the reason for the discrimination.

I blame the early missionaries and church for systematically branding anything associated with the shrines and old religion as evil, satanic and untouchable.

PAGAN9JA:


There you go. I believe herein lies the reason for the discrimination.

I blame the early missionaries and church for systematically branding anything associated with the shrines and old religion as evil, satanic and untouchable.

The Osu caste system is older than the arrival of the missionaries.

What's the blaming the missionaries about?

macof:
is dat so? tell me abt it

I am not sure you read the Op painstakingly. Pls do me that favour.

jnrbayano:


I am not sure you read the Op painstakingly. Pls do me that favour.

well u are right but i dnt believe the op. i dnt believe anything from Christians

jnrbayano:


The Osu caste system is older than the arrival of the missionaries.

What's the blaming the missionaries about?

Yes the Osu system is older than the missionaries whereby slaves, criminals,debters etc, instead of facing death were given new lease of life as shrine caretakers and attendees. They held powerful positions and were resepected and feared and most of all...envied.

But discrimination preceeded after the arrival of missionaries. Just as any traditionaliat is discriminated. This has persisted tho even after conversion due to association with the old Gods (so called devils)

It appears there's always a new thread about osu or allegedly ongoing practice of cannibalism in the SE

It's becoming a bit obsessive.

Radoillo:
It appears there's always a new thread about osu or allegedly ongoing practice of cannibalism in the SE

It's becoming a bit obsessive.

pls wat do u know abt the Osu? can u share?

macof:
pls wat do u know abt the Osu? can u share?

What I know is that it is hardly an issue in my part of Igboland. I have never met an Osu my entire life. I was introduced to the Osu phenomenon in my Igbo language and culture classes in secondary school... and in the media.

When I began asking older family members about it, all they could tell me was that there used to be one Osu family in our town...but they left soon after the Civil War and no one had heard about them since.

Like I've said before in another Osu thread, people tend to make this osu thing a bigger deal than it actually is.

PAGAN9JA:


There you go. I believe herein lies the reason for the discrimination.

I blame the early missionaries and church for systematically branding anything associated with the shrines and old religion as evil, satanic and untouchable.

early missionaries... That's where the problem started. I wish we can turn back the hands of time.

Jennydoris:






early missionaries... That's where the problem started. I wish we can turn back the hands of time.

NO!

We must not and cannot turn back time. That is doom.

Wr must work for a better future and right the wrongs committed in the past.

PAGAN9JA:


NO!

We must not and cannot turn back time. That is doom.

Wr must work for a better future and right the wrongs committed in the past.

Yes.. We can't turn back the hands of time or change the situation of thing.. But the OSU CAST system has been abolished a very long time ago... But now it's as if the system just started especially in my town. Hmmmmmm...


So am wondering how we will RIGHT the WRONGS that was committed in the past

Jennydoris:





Yes.. We can't turn back the hands of time or change the situation of thing.. But the OSU CAST system has been abolished a very long time ago... But now it's as if the system just started especially in my town. Hmmmmmm...


So am wondering how we will RIGHT the WRONGS that was committed in the past

We have to reconvert to Traditional Religion (Odinani) in your case, develop it make it more practical for worship for the common man and evangelize everyone to it. And overthrow the scourge of christianity out of these lands.

PAGAN9JA:


We have to reconvert to Traditional Religion (Odinani) in your case, develop it make it more practical for worship for the common man and evangelize everyone to it. And overthrow the scourge of christianity out of these lands.

Hmmmmmm!

Abeg I no understand.

Jnrbayano,If you find out that the woman you want to marry is an Osu what will you do?

There is another group of people called the ORU. They are being discriminated too esp in terms of marriage.

prissyluv:
Jnrbayano,If you find out that the woman you want to marry is an Osu what will you do?

There is another group of people called the ORU. They are being discriminated too esp in terms of marriage.

I will marry her if I love her but that won't prevent asking questions to know the history of/with being associated to/with Osu.

"Oru" means a slave.

jnrbayano:

I will marry her if I love her but that won't prevent asking questions to know the history of/with being associated to/with Osu.
"Oru" means a slave.

Well,it will be easier for you to marry her if your people(family,relatives/umunna) doesnt have a strong thing for 'osu'. There was a case in my villa where the family and relatives of the man threatened him that if he dares marry the lady(oru) that they will forbid him from answering their name and even his own fathers name etc.
Hmmmm.If such be your case where your family is not in support,will you still go ahead despite your love for her?

prissyluv:

Well,it will be easier for you to marry her if your people(family,relatives/umunna) doesnt have a strong thing for 'osu'. There was a case in my villa where the family and relatives of the man threatened him that if he dares marry the lady(oru) that they will forbid him from answering their name and even his own fathers name etc.
Hmmmm.If such be your case where your family is not in support,will you still go ahead despite your love for her?

Are you talking about "oru" or "osu"?

jnrbayano:


Are you talking about "oru" or "osu"?

Osu but gave an example of a man who wanted to marry an 'oru' .
Infact,both are being discriminated in terms of marriage.

Radoillo:


What I know is that it is hardly an issue in my part of Igboland. I have never met an Osu my entire life. I was introduced to the Osu phenomenon in my Igbo language and culture classes in secondary school... and in the media.

When I began asking older family members about it, all they could tell me was that there used to be one Osu family in our town...but they left soon after the Civil War and no one had heard about them since.

Like I've said before in another Osu thread, people tend to make this osu thing a bigger deal than it actually is.

It shouldn't be a thing at all though, and that's kind of the point trying to be made here.

prissyluv:

Osu but gave an example of a man who wanted to marry an 'oru' .
Infact,both are being discriminated in terms of marriage.

I will go to the family I wanna marry into and ask them if they are or believe in "osu" thing.

If they say yes, the marriage will not take place and if they say no, the marriage will take place.

If my fiancee's people say no, it will now be my world against my people. It will be war of attrition with them which I know that the odds will be in my favour since we are christians.

ChinenyeN:
Sigh... Yet another 'Osu' thread.

I never saw those threads before opening this one.

I heard the Booking Space Group/Inc has been banned.