"Osu" caste system in Igboland and its abolition

"Osu" caste system in Igboland 

The "osu" caste system is an age-long obnoxious practice among  the Igbos in Eastern part of Nigeria which has been difficult to go away despite the impact of Christianity, modern education, civilisation, and human rights culture. It is claimed that "osu" (literally means an outcast) dedication to the deities (gods) makes "osu" status a condition of permanent and irreversible disability with lots of stigma attached to it. This is a dehumanising practice that breeds inequality, stigmatisation, marginalisation, segregation, and discrimination against the "osu". There are different caste groups in Igbo land which includes: "osu"(outcast), "ohu"(slaves), and "nwadiala"(son of the soil or freeborn). The "osus" are allegedly dedicated to Alusi (deities) in Igboland therefore considered to be outcasts and the untouchables while the "ohus" are said to have inherited slavery or servitude in perpetuity hence not allowed to mix or intermarry with the "nwadialas or dialas" who are considered to be son of the soil or the freeborns.

The origin of "osu" caste system can be traced back centuries ago when the deities or gods were believed to ask for human sacrifices during festivals or for the cleansing of the land from abomination thus leading to capturing of human beings or purchasing of slaves by the communities. "Osu" is  enslaved to the Alusi (deity) either through seeking refuge from the gods by themselves or through being sacrificed to the deity and when they give birth, their children automatically become "osu" at  birth and continue to raise a family of "osus" throughout their lifetime. Most often some of these people sacrificed to the gods were either killed or lived in the shrines or market places as "osus". Some people who were on the run from danger or crime were conscripted into "osu" caste as a form of refuge. There were also others who were conspired against by some wicked people and were either sold into slavery or offered to deity as "osu".

The "osu" caste system discourages social interaction and marriage between "osu" and "nwadiala". They are classified as lower castes, sub-human therefore treated as inferiors to the "nwadiala" caste and are not allowed to have any kind of dealings with the "nwadialas". They are seen as unclean, outcast and are not allowed to break kola for the freeborns in meetings because it is believed that they would bring calamity and misfortune to the community. They are also not allowed to pour libation or pray for the freeborns hence not qualified to own any chieftaincy positions or titles in Igbo communities. This form of maltreatment and punishment have made them to flee to other countries for refuge.

Google photo: Denouncement of Osu caste system by the Igbos

Effects of "Osu" caste system in communities

"Osu" caste discrimination is pronounced in the area of marriage and this is why there are lots of investigation in Igboland once marriage plans are announced. A lot of marriages have been called off due to the obnoxious belief that "osu" cannot marry a freeborn otherwise the family will be defiled. And when the marriage is conducted unknowingly once it is found out, the marriage will be cancelled or the family will be ostracized by the community. As a result of this caste system, marriages in Igboland are preceded by investigations with elders from each family discreetly going to their prospective in-laws' native homes to find out each family's social status. 

My friend who was born into an "osu" family lost three of her suitors due to this wicked practice. The most annoying and traumatising experience was her last marriage which had already been consummated without her husband's family knowing that she is an "osu" because her husband is from another village. One day, someone who knows her very well from her own village let the cat out of the bag by reporting her to her husband's family which made her to be sent away from her husband's house. Her parents were not open about their social status because they were living in the midst of freeborn therefore making it difficult to find out that they are "osus"except someone tells you. This does not mean that they do not face stigmatisation and discrimination from the freeborns. In some towns, "osu" people have their own  villages which makes it easier for them to be identified, however they also enjoy their company. In some families where the woman had given birth to a baby boy before finding out that she is an "osu" there is always first son rivalry and most often the family fails to recognise her son as their first son. Some men who knowingly married into an "osu" family due to their religious beliefs face ostracization from their immediate families and communities while some couples tend to elope. There are so many ugly cases like the afore-mentioned but I do not want to bore you with those.

Laws and discrimination

"Osu" caste system clearly infringes on peoples' fundamental human rights and have torn families and friends apart for generations, however some Christians also engage in this obnoxious act despite believing that God created everybody equal. It is very sad how we are very religious but we continue to discriminate against innocent people on the basis of archaic and barbaric tradition. Having in mind that our ancestors were all traditional worshippers before converting to Christianity, it makes it very difficult for me to understand why some Christians should be involved in this segregation. More so when the practice is linked to gods that most of us have rejected publicly, the "osu" cult is not supposed to be sustained by learned and civilised Christian society. For people living in the diaspora, it is not right to be called a"black monkey" or being discriminated against by your race, skin colour, religion, beliefs, and social status however, you are very comfortable discriminating against your own tribe calling innocent people "osu" or "ohu" as the case may be.

It is quite surprising that almost 70 years after the United National General Assembly adopted Universal declaration on Human Rights and banned slavery in 1948; most Igbo communities continue to practice this "osu" caste system. The defunct Eastern House of Assembly on May 10, 1956 through an act of parliament also abrogated the common practice of referring to people as "osu" and the fines imposed discouraged the public from expressing the word "osu" but the practice of segregation and discrimination based on caste continued. When the discrimination was intensified, the government set up a committee which eventually recommended abolition of the caste system but this met series of resistance as various communities continue to subtly discriminate against the "osus". Some traditional leaders took bold step to abolish it in their communities but their community members would always ask them to lead by example which means allowing their sons to marry "osu" first before they can follow. Some other communities played it down therefore allowing it to die a natural death.

Abolition of "Osu" caste system

Some human right activists including Joseph Okechukwu, Nollywood actor and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) such as Initiative for the Eradication of Traditional and Cultural Stigmatization in Our Society (IFETACSIOS) have been at the fore front of "osu" abolition saying it is against human rights and encouraging discrimination. The human right activists also listed some of the punishments meted to the "osus" in Igbo land as follows: parents' administration of poison to their children, disinheritance, ostracism, deprivation of property, expulsion of wives, violent disruption of marriage ceremonies, denial of chieftaincy titles, and membership of social clubs. Consequently, the Government, religious leaders, and traditional leaders in the South Eastern part of Nigeria finally abolished this obnoxious "osu" caste system on the 28th December, 2018 at Nri town which is believed to be the ancestral and birth home of the Igbos. Its people have divine placement to make atonement for any abomination in Igbo land. This was a spiritual abolition of "osu" and cleansing of the land by both traditional and religious leaders because they believe that the practice emanated from gross criminality, very fraudulent act linked to diabolism, and therefore requires a spiritual approach.

I hope Igbo people uphold and enforce this "osu" caste system abolition and not like the previous years when it was abolished in theory but not in practical. There are other people who are also a bit worried like me about its implementation. Below are some of the comments I found on a Facebook post as regards the abolition of "osu" caste system in Igboloand.

Drafted by Chikaodili Deng (MPH)

Kindly consider following the blog for updates and also watch the full video through the link below and remember to SUBSCRIBE to our You Tube channel.