Why Free Born Will Never Marry Osu Outcast In Igbo Land
CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Recently, a report surfaced of a bride and student of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State who dumped her intending husband right inside a church while their wedding ceremony was on.
The lady, however, broke her silence two years after the incident happened in a town in Aguata Local Government of Anambra State.
According to her, she was under severe pressure to quit the wedding after her parents discovered at the last minute that her would be husband was an outcast popularly call “Osu” in Igbo Land.
Traditionally, there are two classes of people in Igboland – the Nwadiala and the Osu.
The Nwadiala, literally meaning ‘sons of the soil’ are the free born. They are the masters. While the Osu are the slaves, the strangers, the outcasts and the untouchables.
Chinua Achebe in his well-known book, No Longer At Ease asks: “What is this thing called Osu?” He answers: “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”.
The Osu are treated as inferior human beings in a state of permanent and irreversible disability. They are subjected to various forms of abuse and discrimination. The Osu are made to live separately from the free born. 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 Nwadiala. They are not allowed to break kolanuts at meetings. No Osu can pour libation or pray to gods on behalf of a freeborn at any community gathering. It is believed that such prayers will bring calamity and misfortune.
What is Osu caste System? I have heard different versions of this story and I don’t know which version to believe. The oral history say, some time ago (only God knows when); there was a war, famine or disease in a certain land, people were dying in great numbers or so, and a certain man took his children to a certain forest and prayed to the evil forest god to save him and his family, and if the calamity does not touch his family he will worship the forest god forever. Since nothing happened to this man, he lived in the evil forest and worshiped this god. As a result, he was given the name Osu, meaning outcast, evil or idol worshiper or whatever. Because of this, he is considered evil and no one comes close to him or his family.
Growing Up: Even though Osu is still prevalent in my town/LGA now, it was worst like 20 years ago. When I was growing up, we were not allowed to go to a barber’s shop owned by an Osu person. Our parents would tell us which barber’s shop to use and which one to avoid.
As custom demands, if Osu person cuts your hair, you will automatically become Osu, and every member of your family becomes Osu instantly. If you marry an Osu, you will become Osu instantly and all members of your family will be Osu.
Right now, we have our hair cut wherever we deem fit and we have not become Osu. We now do everything with them except MARRIAGE.
Marrying Osu: There must be something strange with this. There are only three people I know that married Osu, two of them died mysteriously with their children. They usually die in strange circumstances. The only one that survived is living in London with his wife and children. When he wanted to marry his so-called Osu wife, his father told him not to try it otherwise he would disown him and he will never be allowed to come to the village again. He told his dad; fine, he loves this girl and cannot marry someone else. He also said he already owns a house in London and doesn’t need his father if he cannot reason with him. This happened like nine years ago and the guy has never visited the village ever then. The man is waxing really stronger as he is currently a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and has four children. One can conveniently say he has broken that evil jinx and probably other guys in the town will follow suit.
But have not set his foot in their village probably because of what will happen.
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This piece very detailed and useful. Daalu.
My fiances mother is an outcast but the father is not an outcast does it make him an outcast?
Pls in imo ahia azu LG which part have this osu of a thing
This is of a thing has caused my lives
This osu of a thing has caused my lives
How can we do away with this long traditional belief?
Nonsense traditional.
In my understanding, it is very upsetting seeing a young and talented with a good heart, and later broke the relationship just because of this old culture or mindset. For me, I have not come in contact with them but recently I met one deeply in love with her even though she’s one, I don’t base in Nigeria 🇳🇬 if God permits me to go along with her my dear no one can stop me. I ask you, people, 👫 saying that osu is this or that is are they not humans the same flash and blood? As long as we are dealing with them in some area but only marriage is the issue nothing like osu
Let’s embrace ourselves with one love 💕 my woman has been crying 😭 for long since she finds out I am a free-born. I try to let her understand that everything has solutions moreover, I don’t base in Africa, as long as God did not reject our union my dear it’s doesn’t exist in my life. Let’s abolish this osu we are in modern life now. Osu or free-born 🐣 are all the same.
Thank you all.
From Australian
My marriage is about to break up because of this tradition as I’m a free born
My woman whom I truly and genuinely love is an osu, her mum is not, is only her dad. If I don’t marry her I don’t know how life would be with me. Fu*ck osu outcast system ideology
For the past few days now I have been in pain, one person I have ever loved happens to be OSU , please what can we do to aborlish this stupid superstitious belief in Anambra state…..My man and I have been crying we can’t help it, we are all human being . Jesus said there’s no Jews or gentile so why OSU and free born .💔💔😭😭
😭😭😭 this system is old need to be abolish.. my fiancée is a free born am an osu he does not believe in the system though we are scared 😟
This have to be abolished because of this the parents of the only joy and happiness denied me of my wife because I’m not nwadiala…
One thing I believe is this
God is over everything
This so called Osu thing has really caused more harm, young people are the once facing it seriously and it comes up during marriage. My anger is that the people practising this so called thing are Christians, how can you reject who the lord has not rejected. It hurts so bad
My Hart is still bleeding, I got to know that why my fiancee left me to marry another man is because she thought I would not marry her becos is is OSU,
But my pain is that why would she decide for me
God please abolish this tradition
😭😭😭 my heart is bleeding
Like I can’t stop crying
🥺 We are already deeply in love with ourselves
😭 And now I find out that my finance was an osu 😭
🥺 And now we can’t date anymore because am nwadiala😭😭
Like we are both human being there is nothing different from us 🤦💔😔
Father please abolish this tradition
It’s hurting we young youth a lot
The same thing with me, am a free born and my girlfriend is an OSU I don’t know what to do and we love ourselves so much 😭😭😭
Am also a victim this particular religion of a thing is seriously dealing with me…n my relationship is astake …. how do we eradicate this rubbish tradition among the Igbos we are one n no need for discriminating am tired of crying, how can we Igbos can’t marry ourselves in the name of a tradition I knew nothing about it’s painful,n this thing have to be abolished…I see everyone equal..
This is rubbish. My fiancé is an osu and we both are so much in love with each other. I’m at the verge of losing him cos of this superstitious old cultural belief. I don’t know what to do
I have Ben in pains because of these. currently now the girl that love with and help me is an outcast but am free born but I must make sure I found out an important thing the have pass to end highest I leave the community for them and took her away
This has been even before we came to exist,
Please ask questiond before you start any relationship,
No go dey fall in love like mumu as an adult you are.
Thanks
I have a friend and we have dated for 6years now although I told him I’m an osu from the onset but this guy loves me so much telling me that his dad is a true Christian that will not condemn such but now I’m four months gone pregnant for this guy ,his dad has refuse him to get married to me I don’t really know what to do right now
Same thing happened to me. I found a guy to marry but my family says he’s Osu and we can’t get married. Unfortunately am pregnant with our first child yet my family refuses to accept the guy, it’s crazy. We have been staying together since last year in Canada but we’re struggling because I need my father’s blessing and he has refused. My life right now is like a nightmare.