“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 “- Chinua Achebe
“ What is this thing called Osu?”-Chinua Achebe
Quite obnoxious , the Osu caste system in Igboland is an ancient practice that is firmly against any social interaction and marriage between the “Nwadiala” (free-born) and Osu (outcast).
Back then, there were two classes of people in Igboland- the Nwadiala and the Osu. Nwadiala means son of the son of the soil, while Osu was used to refer to the slaves, outcasts or strangers. The Nwadiala were the masters, while the Osu were the slaves and were treated as inferior humans.
In the olden days, Osu were people enslaved or dedicated to the deities of a community. Igbo people back then worshipped a deity called “Ala”, which gives the people’s rules. People who offend the gods of the land or deity were usually cast away to avoid incurring the deity’s wrath and avoid spreading the ‘abomination’ among other people of the land. Those outcasts were then identified as Osu. The outcasts were either sold to slavery or delivered to the gods, and they became slaves to the gods. They live separately from the free-borns, usually close to the shrines or market places. Surprisingly, this obnoxious practice has refused to go away over the years.
Analytical reports had it that those who,along the line, embraced the European concepts began to avoid those protected by OSU during slave trade invasion. The spirituality became evident, a stigma , more scary after seeing the Europeans who pursued the Osus into shrines died
“ what is this thing called Osu ?” Igbo celebrated writer, the late Prof Chinua Achebe, in his novel, “No Longer At Ease,” attempted to show the futility of the practice when he asked, “what is this thing called Osu?” He had reasoned that: “The Ancestors 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.”
Achebe’s question arose following the frustration of one of the characters in the novel, Obi Okonkwo, who in spite of his education overseas could not marry Clara, the girl he loved on his return to Nigeria for the simple fact that Clara was an Osu. He made futile attempts to convince his parents, members of his Umuofia Community and his friends that there was nothing special about being an Osu, and that people should be free to live in communities. It got to a point that despite having parents who were Christians with his father being a Catholic, getting them to accept an Osu into the family was as difficult as climbing an Iroko tree with bare hands. His mother had threatened to end her life should it happen, thus underscoring the seriousness Ndigbo attach to the issue. In the novel, Obi’s father, Okonkwo, on learning about the marriage to Clara summoned Obi and said to him: “Osu is like 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.”
The Igbos who embraced catholism ignored the spirituality of their ancestors , they denied the devotees a return to the society, they danced to the tune of the European intruders
The Osu caste system practice is so strong that even after the death of the people dedicated to the deities, their descendants still live with the stigma; they are still tainted with the ‘Osu tag’ and are ostracised from the rest of the community.
Another school of thought is of the view that the practice was a fallacy meant to dispossess people of their property decades ago, especially given the level of ignorance that existed back then.
In Igbo land, there exists other minor or lower caste groups found in many communities going by some very derogatory names, and in some other communities, the Osu or slave is regarded as a worthless human being . However, It is said that the Osus are rich and their women are extraordinarily beautiful, yet the ‘freeborn’ Igbos, particularly the traditionists, viewed them as unclean. Tracing the history of the Osu caste system shows that they have always been treated as inferior to the ‘diala’ people. They were seen as people without class.
Even till recently, some of the Christians among the Igbos also dissociate from the Osus, especially as regards marriage. Many arguments have been raised even among the Christian Igbos whether it is okay to marry an Osu or not.
Some of the Igbo Christians oppose the idea of marrying an Osu because their ancestors were dedicated to the gods. Apparently, they nurse the fear of marrying someone tagged a property of the gods. With Christianity taking over things, not many will welcome the idea of having anything to do with deities. Even if the Osu descendant has verbally denounced the god their ancestors were dedicated to, there is the common belief that the deity will continue manifesting in one way or the other among the descendants.
Analytically, the Osu system is the worst form of slavery because, unlike slaves who can regain their freedom, the Osus are bound to this social status throughout their lifetime. They are subjected to various forms of discrimination and abuse by fellow men. An Osu is made to live separately from the freeborn. The Osu are not allowed to drink, dance, associate, hold hands or even have sex with Nwadiala.
The Osu are denied access to social clubs, they are not allowed to hold chieftaincy titles or political positions. They are also denied assets like land. The Osu are not allowed to break kola nuts in gatherings or meetings. They cannot pray to gods or pour libation during gatherings with freeborn. It is believed that such prayers made by an Osu on behalf of the Nwadiala will bring misfortune and calamity.
The Osu caste system is a practice that encourages social discrimination of all sorts. Imagine not being able to associate freely with other people because of something your ancestors did, which you know nothing about. The Osu system has made it extremely difficult for the Osus to get married to who they love except fellow Osus or people from other tribes who know little or nothing about the ancient practice.
This system of ostracising certain groups of people has a high tendency to cause them mental and emotional trauma. There have been instances of young men and women suffering heartbreaks because of this discriminatory cultural act.
The discrimination can make this group of people shy away from social gatherings and ruin interpersonal relationships. The Osu caste system creates a flawed society in which some people are not allowed to participate in communal activities. However, the fact that their community pushed them away made them find solace in other things and other places that are okay with having them around.
The Osu caste system is hinged on supernaturalism, religion and theism. The Igbos are very religious and theistic; thus, they still believe that there will be serious consequences for associating with people who are allegedly unclean, untouchable and dedicated to the gods. Different parts of the Igboland hold different beliefs regarding a Nwadiala marrying an Osu. One generally belief is that if a Nwadiala marries an Osu, the Osu will taint the Nwadiala’s lineage, and the lineage will also inherit the status of Osu.
There is a custom that says if an Osu cuts your hair, you and every member of your family becomes an Osu. If you marry an Osu, you and every member of your family automatically become an Osu. Another popular belief is that if a free-born marries an Osu, the union will bring calamity upon him and his household. These are reasons why families fight hard so that their sons or daughters do not marry an Osu because it is perceived that that one act will affect every family member.
Since modernisation in Igboland, people have criticised the Osu Caste System for defying the basic human rights. A couple of scholars have likened the Osu system to slavery and that it should be abolished. However, it is still practised in some parts of Igboland, such as Oba in Anambra state. The maltreatment meted out to the Osu has forced many of them to migrate to other countries .
