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Are the Igbos Inferior and Primitive? Things equal to the same are equal to one another. Through the Osu caste system, the Igbo race has declared a part of itself inferior and therefore cannot be as a whole superior. The Osu cultural policy of the Igbos is the most damaging self-inflicted injury on Igbo tribe. One can argue that Osu policy is one of the reasons why the other Nigerian tribes avoid lasting alliance - politically, socially and economically with the Igbos. Our studies show that Osu caste system (despite all education) is evenly practiced among the Igbo pagans, Christians and educated elites alike. It looks like the pagan and animist cultural attachment will never leave a typical Igbo man no matter his level of education. Consider a true story of an Igbo man who migrated to the United States immediately after the Nigerian-Biafra civil war - early 1970s. Our man (Mr Igbo Nwadiala) while studying in the US met an Afro-American girl (whom her great grand fathers were probably Osu). The girl loved him and even through some initial differences her family accepted him and respected their daughter's wish to remain emancipated. They got married and were blessed with 3 kids (precisely two girls and a boy). Conditions were fine and Mr Igbo Nwadiala became a doctor and successful. He was able to help six other immediate family members from Igbo land to live in the United States and there, (for whatever reasons) they also got married, some to whites and some to other Afro-Americans. They never wanted to know if these African-American partners were grand children of Osu and these people simply accepted their African English accent. Eventually, at last, his parents joined them from Africa to live in the US. The timing was perfect, Mr Igbo Nwadiala and his cultural family formed a clique in the United States, they are now ready to respect their African Osu culture from Igbo land. His first daughter who was already 19 years old fall in love with a young man of African origin. I guess like her mother in those days, she thought she was lucky. Neither her nor her new boy friend knew exactly what Osu is and how its going to change their lives. Well, guess what happened. Her father and his family were totally against the relationship and her planned marriage because the boy's father, another Igbo man in the United States was traced to belong to a group called Osu in Igbo land. The resulting occasion was immense, especially to the girl's mother (who happens to like her new son inlaw) and could not understand the whole scrap surrounding the Osu primitive mentality. Her daughter refused to respect her father's opinion on this and she was faced with accusations of coursing an imminent calamity based on Osu culture she married into by fate some 20 years ago. Our man (her husband) changed and they were divorced after over 20 years of marriage. Mr Igbo Nwadiala was 60 years old when he lost a whole family who refused further contact with him and his African family. He rushed back to Alaigbo (Igboland) and remarried and started afresh. Not bad, with a Nwadiala woman.
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