Ostella2:
Osu is so much in existence and it's a big shame. I have seen relationships broken in this 21st century because the man or girls is osu and the family of the free born said no. I am a free born but just started a movement of the free born s who ready to set them free. Our fathers were unfair to their fathers. This 21st century. It's evil and inhuman. Their forefathers were either stolen, or kidnapped and sold into slavery and osu. No time to tell you the full history here. The UN abolished it but the igboman says no. The Nigerian constitutions stopped it but and igboman says no, the government of the eastern states abolished it 50+ years ago but and igboman still says no, yet we want biafra or restructure. You can't bound a man with one hand and seek for your freedom with one. He that goes to equity should go with clean hands! A more forceful law needs to be enacted. They are not allowed to take chieftency titles too

The end of the OSU caste system is long overdue.

Ebolas are wicked sha

Travelista:


Oooohhh! I'm a complete muu-muu! I know the Eziama in Ikeduru and this is the one in Mbaitoli! As for Orodo, isn't that the village where the Eze was kidnapped?

Hello are you from Imo state

metalgong5:
@Poster

Do you know the reason why the forefathers of those people were regarded as OSU?

Who cares? which kind mumu question be this naa.

chimbuz:
I am from[b]UBAHAEZE[/b] ORODO in Imo State, I live in Lagos and grew up in Onitsha Anambra State. The issue of Eziama town in Orodo and Osu caste is historical. History has it that their forefather was an Osu thereby making all of them Osu. I also watched that episode on Moments with Moo. Some of the issues raised in that episode were exaggerated and some outright lies. It is also true the whole town is osu but its a topic nobody talks about until when marriage comes up, even then its hushed. That non osu's dont buy from Osu's in the market its a lie. I buy things from Nkwo Orodo market whenever i travel home and nobody has ever told not to buy from any person.

On the fight that occurred, the man that was interviewed on Moments with with MOO programme was economical with the truth. The fight that ensued was not one sided as the man made us to believe. It was between Amaukwu town(my maternal town) and Eziama town. The altercation started when an Amaukwu Orodo man allegedly referred to an Eziama Orodo man as osu at the Nkwo Orodo Market. The man from Eziama reported to his townsmen and they mercilessly beat up the Amaukwu man, took him to their shrine, stripping him naked and proceeded to forcibly administer some juju oath on him purporting to making him an osu and leaving him almost dead. The incident did not go down well with some youths of Amaukwu town who beat up some of Eziama people. This led to the burning of houses on both towns aided by a retired police man from Eziama who allegedly took active part in the fracas. The moments with moo report was one sided as they did not get the views of people outside Eziama.

Nobody is in support of Osu caste system and it will not stopped by trading blames on fora like this.

Thanks for giving a vivid explanation of the problem from Eziama, Orodo. This should help readers understand the crux of the matter as against the insinuations that crept up right from the start of the thread.

After reading through the entire pages of the thread, I noticed that some people feel the osu issue is fast dying I shouldn't be brought up or discussed because it will eventually die off. They forget that currently, many people are suffering from its relics especially in the discrimination surrounding marital and chieftaincy issues. Others rightly feel it should be given the required attention it deserves seeing that current realities doesn't justify the tagging of anyone an osu in this generation.
Igbos who are conversant with this issue know very well that it is actually dying out and isn't prevalent in Igboland due to many communities phasing out the practice by themselves as the years go by. However, some communities for reasons best known to them still hold tight to the practice and as such is giving us a bad image. I'll try my best to make the issue clear for everyone who wants to understand the issue surrounding the osu caste and how widespread including how strong to the practice remains in Igboland.
Before I do so, I want to state that I don't really know much about the practice first hand since my own community (town) comprising eight villages have no record of osu. I did ask about the osu issue while I was an undergraduate from some family elders and they told me that we don't have such in my town. After studying extensively about my town, I can confirm that nothing of such existed among us because we all descended from the same person. How other Igbo communities got to have whole villages of osus is difficult for me to grasp.
This is how I want to break down the discuss.

1. When did the osu caste system start?
Ans. I don't know. Probably, before the inception of the transatlantic slave trade. It is said that lots of those sold off during those days were people who committed abominable crimes. It is also believed that many osus where descended from people who were 'set apart' as a result of the abominable acts they committed thereafter dedicating them to the gods of the community. The osucaste system might be the first 'traditional prison' before subsequent taboo breakers were sold off during transatlantic slave trade era. Since the 'traditional prison' already created a mini-settlement, the people of the main community (dianas) might believe that perpetuating the disenfranchisement should continue forever.

2. How widespread is it in Igboland?
Ans. I can't say for sure. I do know that it was found in almost all the different Igbo clans and might go even with another name but the level to which the distinction between osus and dianas was made wasn't the same hence some clans easily phased it out while others held on to it to this very day. Some Igbo groups including my town never had a history of osu.

3. How does one become an osu?
Ans. I clearly don't know but the most prevalent I've heard is through three means.
i. If a man under duress runs into the shrine of the community god for protection, his life is spared in exchange for his 'freebornness'. It means he has dedicated his life to the gods and loses the privilege that goes with being a diana.
ii. If a man/woman commits an abomination and is caught, he/she is offered options which includes being branded an osu, banished or executed.
iii. Through associating with the osus. In the past, the association was very strict but today, it's mostly limited to marriage. If you marry an osu, you and your children become one.

4. How widespread is it in Igboland today?
Ans. I can say with all confidence that the practice has gone to it barest minimum as majority of Igbos don't even know who is an osu or not. Even most of those with osu link don't know until a few occasion demands a research into a family tree before it is discovered.
Everyone associates with every other person and do things together until the issue of marriage comes up. Marriage in Igboland is an institution of families hence a thorough research about both intended families are done to prevent going into the wrong family. The research isn't specifically about osu. Things like history of mental problems, infidelity and other vices are targeted and if found could terminate the marriage. Unfortunately, if the elders find out any link with an osu family, this becomes the highest consideration because they fear their whole kindred might be linked with the osu stigma hence they back off with speed.
Presently, a lot of people have links with the osu families indirectly without knowing because communities without the osu caste marry into the osu families without minding and those who mind about the caste marry from these communities without osu history thereby linking up without knowing. It's just funny to still hear about the osu caste today.
A lot of Igbo groups/clans have outlawed the practice leaving very few communities to revel in it. The Eastern Nigerian government I once read had outlawed it long time ago. I wonder why these few communities still hold on to it.

5. Is the osu caste system still relevant today?
Ans. No it is not. Almost all present day osus are called such by association not because they committed any sacrilege themselves. They do not deserve that term.
The modern system of governance has provided a place for whatever form of defaulters/criminals leaving no room for the traditional means that can make a person an osu. Community banishment still remains an active means of driving away someone who commits an abomination.
Finally, those community gods have mostly being confined to the dustbin of history, hence nothing dedicated to them in the days of yore should still carry their yoke. It becomes appalling when a fellow Christian refuses marriage to another Christian because this other Christian was said to have his ancestor dedicated to a god. How stupid and ridiculous does it sound in the ears?

Conclusively, I believe that superstition is the reason behind the continuous discrimination on the osu caste system because economy isn't the cause. Wealth and status isn't considered when osu issue comes up. The families are mostly scared of whatever bad thing may be brought into their family and that the society will also brand them as osu.
This is all about the osu caste issue.

NB: Should the outdated osu caste system be discussed with the aim of killing it forever? Very much. It should be done by the churches and other relevant bodies.
Is it something that should be shouted all over about? No it isn't as there are more pressing issues concerning the whole Igbo nation than it. Most Igbo communities who outlawed it long time ago did so without any noise. These other groups who still hold on to it should visit these other communities and learn from them how they sorted out theirs.

May God bless AlaIgbo. Amen