Juju Claims Are Fraudulent: An African Fetish (Published In 1905)

Who are the Osu?
Osu – the Problem of the Outcast

In Things Fall Apart, we are reminded of a disturbing practice taking place around the world and covertly in our very nation: prejudiced discrimination promoting invisibly segregated, though sometimes not, caste systems.  After the beginning of the Christianization in Mbanta, some of the tribe’s outcastes, or osu, “seeing the new religion welcomes twins and such abominations,” decide to try the church out.  After a great stir, and even a new convert rejecting the religion for ignorant sympathy, the osu are accepted as ‘brothers and sisters,’ as the Christian overseer promoted equality among the Ibo people.  As the Christian Europeans saw it, all the ‘heathen’ needed a Savior, not just the rulers of the tribes.

I was determined to find out a little more about who the Osu people are and how they become social outcastes.

Originally the Osu were a group of people dedicated to serving at shrines and temples for the deities of the Igbo, or Ibo people, and as slaves to whatever deity they served, their label transformed into a social stigma.  Thus, over time the social interaction between the Osu and freemen, or Diala, also morphed from respect to fear and the cultural norms that guided their conduct and interactions became rules of custom that ostracized and branded anyone who violated the rules of interaction as Osu themselves.  Thus, not only was categorization of outcast something inherited but also something to be feared.  One site put it this way:

However, the “indigenous monks,” upon mastering their spiritual functions (of learning to serve the gods) were unjustly and erroneously assigned the Igbo pejorative name of Osu, Ume or Ohu arusi (the slave of the deities/gods or shrines). And so was the story of how the institution of the Osu cult (ritual slavery) originated. The Osus and their descendants belonged to the gods; and they become the properties of the shrines.  And they resided in the vicinity of the shrines of major deities and for all practical purposes excluded themselves from routine engagements with the rest of the community. In other words, being the agents of the deities the Osus maintained an aloof relationship with the rest of the civil society.

Another definition of how people became labeled as Osu was found at the International Society for Human Rightssite.  It explained that anyone who became ostracized by a particular tribe and “sought refuge with the gods,” became the spirit’s property and begat a “life-long exclusion from the community.”  I could see how a son like Nwoye, who shows signs of effeminacy, could have been ostracized by a zealous, proud and many father like Okonkwo and fled for refuge with the Osu if the need had arose.  Instead, he found refuge with the Christians, which he was permanently persecuted for anyway. 

Many contemporary African natives, especially those indoctrinated and raised in democratic principles of liberty and freedom, believe the continued practices of ostracizing those labeled osu is a heinous evil.  They say that, “Some traditional sentiments are unfortunately expressed, by those who believe in the preservation of our primitive heritage and customs, whenever the issue is mentioned.  Some of them may shift uneasily in their chairs; yet other may even tiptoe away, at the mere mention of the word ‘Osu’. Those individuals who observe this tradition with reverence treat any of the so-called ‘Osu’ person with callous disregard.”

It appears that Africa has an endless struggle against a form of racism commingled with religious sentiments that it must attempt to seize and destroy through education and manipulation.  Sounds familiar enough, especially for anyone who lived through the Civil Rights movement; and who knows what will happen with the future of white, black and Hispanic interactions.

http://resurrected.blogspirit.com/archive/2005/11/30/who-are-the-osu.html

This is still going on???


lol Richy aka Doubting Thomas

The origin of Osu revolve around a people culture and believe within the contest of a period in history. Every society designate a method it want to worship it God. Osu system , irrespective of its shortcoming is not about slavery, Richy is trying to twist history and focus on a narrow angle to prove a point.

The biggest problem with Richy is about his narrow definition of juju.
Juju is not just a charm, amulets, object; its a religion a belief and the culture of a people . Its encompasses such thing like traditional medicine, dancing , music. Its a body of knowledge , idea and philosophy; for anybody to call that fraudulent is preposterous and unforgivable.

Like every aspect of life it has its own shortcomings, but  does not mean we should throw away the baby and  birth water. Christianity has its shortcomings, and science too.  Nothing is perfect

juju is not perfect, and definitely not fraudulent

@RichyBlack,

It seems you are going round and round this time. You are making a lot of contradictory statements that will do your reputation and/or integrity no good.

You are in a hurry to make categorical statements even when they cannot withstand any serious scrutiny.

Enjoy the rest of the week as you continue to redefine your positions along the way based on facts.

Richy- Look at your Siggy-

Ephesians 6:12- For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.


And you say there is no such thing as Juju and that snakes were hidden in Pharaoh's Magicians Rods.



Funny- 


I agree with Afam

I agree with you, however, the belief in the fraudulent claims of juju priests is what has made the despicable Osu caste system possible.

If Nigerians ignored these fraudsters disguising as priest, aka juju priests, the Osu caste system would not exist.

So, the Osu caste system is one consequence of people listening to and believing the fraud of juju.

@Topic

So people still believe that "Odieshi" works? Has anyone here seen it work "koro koro" or is it the usual hear say?Odieshi is an Igbo word.Why didn't the biafran army use it against the Nigerian army or will we end this with the usual defense "the Nigerian army's jazz was stronger"?Ehhhn?

The ignorance of my people is heart breaking.