My Wife-To-Be Is An "Osu"

engineerd you are sooo racist!!!!

Hello,

I'm new to the board and late to post to this thread.  I read the article found at the link provided above and it appears that there is a misunderstanding about "OSU" both in Nigeria and the global society.  That article says OSU was/is a system whereby someone could dedicate their lives to service of a god.  It doesn't say Christ, but apparently at the time of slave trade, any person could avoid being enslaved by joining the OSU system.  When a person did that, they set aside their lives to the service of God, much as a Roman Catholic priest or nun does today - giving up some of the rights (i.e. marriage) that the non-OSU, or non-consecrated citizens enjoy. 

Apparently, it is NOT a permanent condition or dedication.  I quote from the article here:

"The good news is that there is indeed a remedy for this involuntary inclusion into the caste. Even those who voluntarily joined the caste can still have the status ritual reversed. For those who may not know, the Osu initiation can be reversed; it is a reversible reality in Agu-Ukwu Nri, the religious hometown of Ndiigbo. All you need to do is to perform the required rites and rituals for it to be reversed."

I agree with the poster who says to inquire and have this status reversed.  Perhaps the official (of Agu-Ukwu-Nri ? or Ndigbo?) could be found and rituals performed to reverse the status to satisfy parents that the prospective bride is not a danger to anyone.  Perhaps that official could communicate with the congregation of your church to enlighten them of the real nature of OSU status. (?)

I hope this will be worked out because love is very precious and is a gift from God.  Blessed is the man or woman who finds real love. 

Please read the last part of the above mentioned article to see that the origin of OSU is not evil and that it can be reversed.

Remain Blessed,

Mary

Gosh. Why are igbos so backward?? OSU? I say this categorically, igbos are very backward. Even the educated ones still have this old traditional beliefs in this day and age. If i was an OSU, i was used as sacrifices to gods against my own will by the other igbos, then who is considered evil here?? You freakin igbos, now i know there are diff. igbos, the OSU's are the good ones then the other ones are the evil and backward ones. shame on u assholes that still hold these beliefs.



to this whoeva that sent this backward reply &all dose criticizin d ibos
m glad someone has enlighten u people about d existence of this caste system not only in igboland but in oda parts of d country aswell as oda parts of d world.  sorry to say but yes it exists. m an igbo girl frm anambra state we ve little or non of this but dey bliv in it. i ve an uncle whose wife was an outcast my grand mum who by d way is a highly educated principal nd almost a deacon in church with her brothers didnt  go 2 marry his wife with him dere re oda cases. A friend of my mum got married to an osu against her parents wishes nobpdy went for her xcept few family frnds nd relatives  when her mom died dey didnt let her c her mom's corpse d lady ended updying out of frustration nd rejection.
  this s a practice that a lot of people abolish but dey cantdo little about it YES TO AN XTENT You CAN TALK TO UR PARENTS who by d way may not reali b into it but since its tradition dey mite ve little or no power ova it.nd it mite wrk but attimes its a little beyond that oalot of people ve sacrificed ova it nd it didnt favor them. ass someone has said ITS A TIN OF D MIND, GUTS COURAGE, PRAYER You MUST BE READY TO FIGHT EVEN AGAINST UNFORSEEN FORCES.

M also a victim ve bin datin this guy 4 along time nd all ofs sudden my mum tells me 2 watchout that he s an OSU so if he s talkin about marriage i shld try 2 ward him off.nd this s someone she can swear on his behalf that he loves me. i was reali suprised because dere was a tv program nd this topic was on air she gave an immense contribution nd he was in my house only 4 him 2 leave nd sh bursted she said m TALKIN 4 FEAR  OF WAT MITE B WEN M NOT DERE. i reali loved him nd was ready to go against her nd them. dou we broke up irrespective of that i never told hom that dou because i didnt think it was an issue.
ALL IN ALL LOVE IS NOT ENOF TO CONQUER D AFTER EFFECT OF THE MARRIAGE DEY BOTH MUST B READY.

Hi there, do you know  you can get jailed for calling someone an 'OSU' now. Its legally a crime. it can be identified as slander. Such things no longer exist. Its just like saying you have a twin and you want to kill them. These are beleifs/cultures that was practised in the olden days and by unbeleivers. As christians and in this modern age, it shouldnt even be brought up. I am of royal blood but my elder sister is engaged to what you people call 'OSU'. I am strongly behind her to marry him because its what they feel for each other that matters and nothing else. Please don't stop you brother to marry the woman he loves because of something as irrelevant and achaeic and 'OSU'

Osu my foot!

there is no osu in heaven, one you love the girl go ahead and marry her.

I'm surprise people still subject themselves to this nonsence of outcast. Can anyone trully tell me what difference there is between an Osu and a Free born? what really makes someone an Osu?

This is totally annoying. I'll advice your brother stays solidly by his girlfriend and match her straight to the alter!
Forget this old age, archaic, primitive and uninformed practice against fellow humans and see people the way they are.

IT'S A BIG SHAME THAT EVEN CHRISTIANS AND EDUCATED PEOPLE STILL TALK OF "OSU". THIS PERSON YOU CALL OSU, IS UR CLASSMATE IN SCHOOL, UR COLLEGUE IN OFFICE, UR CHRISTAIN "SISTER OR "BROTHER IN CHURCH ETC . WHAT IS NOW THE OSU IN THE PERSON? I PRAY CHRISTAINS SHOULD ACTUALLY BE CHRIST LIKE, AMEN.

@poster

i think u should settle down before rushing into any decisions.

First of all try to convince your parents about your love for this girl

and how it has nothing to do wit what your ancestors or hers did.


irrespective of their ignorance it is good to have their marriage blessing or what do u think?

Don't elope o,  try to yan with them ok

all the best men.

hello nairalanders,

this issue of osu is not a trivial matter. to me it is of no consequence, i believe if i am confronted with the choice, i will go ahead and marry. i know someone who went ahead, even after much parental pressure to do otherwise. it was a girl, and in the end, the girl had her way and married her guy.

so i think it boils down to individual ability to manage the pressures associated with the matter. i advise you tread softly, and when you finally make the decision, stick to it, irrespective.

i wish you the best.

iyc

Hey, they say this osu thing is supposed to be extinct, but its a question of when it stares you in the face!! Where i come from, Nnewi, they said the igwe once stated that it does not exist anymore, and they asked him to go and let his child marry an osu. I never heard anymore about that.

But like i said, i know a girl who insisted and married her man, who was an osu. After everyone had tried their best to dissuade her, me exclusive, she did the wise thing, went and got pregnant, and no-one said abort (as all good catholics decide). So she got her man, and no one dissents in her direction, anyways theya re now both permanently in the states, so that's another kettle of fish altogether.

All i can say is that, if you desire the person enough to damn the consequences, then so be it, but if you are looking for support to make you feel justified in your decision, you'll be scratching too many backs. So do what your heart can justify even when you are dead. God's grace in your decision, but quote me anyday, "GO FOR IT"!!!!!!!!!!

IYC

Elgaxton! Thanks for that wise advise. To clear some of us, the people tagged OSU are those whose ancestors were believed to have taken refuge in one god or the other. The result is that is they were taken to be the property of such gods. They were used for sacrifice and that was because they had surrendered their lives to those gods. In other words they were the untouchables, 'unmingle-ables' if I may use that coinage. Modern society have come to frown at such practices not just the belief. In other words, it is not about "western education"  as some of us may think, but about positive spiritual awareness.

If your brother's fiance has severed herself from such belief and practices, then you should support your brother and help him convince your parents, afterall you said both families have been friends. I emphasize PRACTICES because some of them, (Osu) hate to be called Osu but they relish the protection they get from such gods. My brother, there is God and there is the Devil, and both have powers. But thank God for his GRACE. I wish your brother all the best as he makes the right decisions.

I would say follow your heart, but remember that what she is going through will be you and your childrens' portion as well for the rest of your lives.
Its only the Igbos that understand the effect it has.

A friend of mine keeps meeting nice guys who always tend to take her to meet the parents so to speak , but somehow it nevers works out . She has told me in the past that she is an osu so i suspect that as the guys she has been dating so far have been Igbos this is probably the reason behind the "not working out scenarios".

Its the fear behind the osu issue that is the problem, one can't just say ignore it because it will simply become your endless burden too.

Be prepared for it is what i'd say. Good luck,