The Osu caste system is a traditional practice in Igboland, characterized by social segregation and restrictions on interaction and marriage with a group of individuals known as Osu (Igbo: outcast).[1] [2] The Osu individuals historically were marginalized by the Igbo deities (Alusi), and as a result, they are often perceived as inferior and segregated from the Nwadiala or diala (Igbo: real born) class.[3]
The Osu caste system's roots trace back to the era when Igbo city-states were governed by Odinani, a system of earth-based laws. Ala, a deity, established rules for the people to follow in order to ensure the nation's prosperity within the territory granted by Chukwu, the Supreme God. Offenders found guilty of grave abominations were exiled to prevent the wrath of the earth deity and the spread of abomination among the citizens. These outcasts came to be known as Osu. They were either sold into slavery to others or were offered as sacrifices to deities demanding human offerings during festivals, ultimately leading to their enslavement.[4] Another perspective on the history of the Osu caste system centers on ostracism. Those who defied a king's orders or community decisions were banished, resulting in the victim and their descendants being labeled as Osus.[5]
The Osu individuals are treated as inferior by the diala class.[6] They are often confined to living in shrines or marketplaces and face objections when seeking relationships, be they romantic, marital, or congenial, outside their caste. In Chinua Achebe's No Longer At Ease, it is noted that osus are designated separate seats in churches.[7] The osus, seen as unclean, are barred from breaking kolanut or offering prayers on behalf of individuals outside their caste due to the belief that they may bring calamity upon the society.[8] This mistreatment has compelled many osus to seek refuge in other countries.[9]
Since the advent of modernization in Igbo land, the osu caste system has faced criticism from those who view it as contrary to human rights principles and freedom from discrimination.[10] Human rights groups advocating for its abolition highlight the punishments suffered by the osu individuals in Igboland, including parental poisoning of their children, disinheritance, ostracism, exclusion from social clubs, disruption of marriage ceremonies, denial of chieftaincy titles, property deprivation, and expulsion of spouses.[11]
On 20 March 1956, Igbo legislators in the Eastern House of Assembly, Enugu, abolished the practice of referring to people as osus. The imposed fines discouraged the public use of the term osu.[12]
The Osu Caste System was officially abolished on 28 December 2018 during a ceremony held in Nri, the acclaimed ancestral home of the Igbo nation, in Anaocha local government area of Anambra State. The event was titled “Nigeria: Osu Caste System in Igboland Ends Today.”[13]
Additionally, on 7 April 2021, another abolition ceremony took place in Nsukka, Enugu, as 119 villages in nine autonomous communities in Nsukka town, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, gathered to eradicate the Osu Caste System in their communities.[14]
Differing perspectives on this matter exist. The Osu Caste System designates some individuals as second-class citizens, denying them certain privileges enjoyed by those considered freeborn. These second-class citizens are prohibited from marrying freeborn individuals and are disqualified from receiving certain traditional titles reserved exclusively for the freeborn.
Various opinions and viewpoints have arisen on this contentious topic, making it challenging to ascertain the precise evolution of the Osu Caste System in Igbo land. Many Igbo individuals in the present generation lack definitive evidence regarding the origins and establishment of the Osu Caste System.[15]