The Out caste system (Osu), is an
obnoxious practice among the Igbo’s in Nigeria which has refused to go away
despite the impact of Christianity, modern education and civilization, and
human right culture.
Traditionally, there are two
classes of people in Igboland; the Nwadiala (Nwaafor) and the Osu.
The Nwadiala literally meaning
‘sons of the soil’ are freeborn. They are masters while the Osu are the people
are the people dedicated to the gods; so they are regarded a slaves, the
strangers, the outcasts and the untouchables.
The Osu are treated as inferior
human beings in a state of permanent and irreversible disability. They are
subjected to various forms of discrimination. The Osu are made to live
separately from the freeborn. In most cases, they reside very close to shrines
and marketplaces. The Osu are not allowed to dance, drink, hold hands,
associate or have sexual relations with the Nwadiala’s. They are not allowed to
break kolanuts at meetings. No Osu can 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.
A human rights group outlined the
atrocities meted out against the Osu in Igboland. They include: “Parent
administering poison to their children, disinheritance, ostracism, organized
attacks, heaping harvest offerings 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, etc.” The
Osu caste discrimination is very pronounced in 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
sides travel to native villages to find out the social status of the other
party). If it is found out that one of them is an Osu, the plan would be
automatically abandoned. Many marriage plans have been aborted, and in fact,
some married couples have been forced to divorce because of the Osu factor.
There have been several efforts
and initiatives to eradicate this harmful tradition. In 1956, the government of
the then Eastern Nigeria passed a law abolishing the Osu caste system. The law
freed and discharged anybody called Osu including the children born to such a
person. It declared the practice unlawful and a crime punishable law but
unfortunately, 50 years after the enactment of this legislation, nobody has
been prosecuted or convinced for breaking the law. At best, what the
legislation has achieved is to drive the practice underground.
Many religious and traditional
leaders have spoken out against the practice. Recently, Eze Enyeribe Onuoha,
the traditional ruler of Umuchieze autonomous community in Imo State urged his
community members to abandon the practice. Statements like this often fall on
deaf ears among the Igbo people as most of them think that cultural norms are
sacrosanct and should not be tampered with. So, the belief in and practice of
Osu caste system continue to wax strong in Igboland. In 1997, a person alleged
to be an Osu was made a Chief in a community in Imo State, but six months
later, the community was engulfed in a crisis. When the case was brought to
Court, the presiding judge noted that though the abolition of the Osu caste
system was in statue, it was an unenforceable law. The Chief was dethroned for
peace to reign in the community.
The Osu caste system in Igboland
has 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 projects and
marriages abandoned and pregnancies terminated. So many crimes and against
humanity have been committed against individuals and groups in Igboland in the
name of ‘Osu’.
The practice of Osu caste system
is hinged on religion, supernaturalism and theism. Since the Osu are regarded
as unclean or untouchable because they are (alleged to be) dedicated to the
gods, it is the dedication to the gods that makes the Osu status a condition of
permanent and irreversible disability and stigma.
Though many have condemned the
system which has traumatized many innocent people, the problem still persists.
However, one fact is that the Osu system of discrimination is an outdated
tradition with no basis for its continued practice and observance in the Igbo
society.
Source: Leo Igwe. ( Vanguard), Ourpage9ja
0 Comments