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OSU CASTE SYSTEM: The Problem is You! Like a husband and wife who make love only in the darkness at night, a typical Igbo Diala does not want to participate in the discussion of the Osu caste problem and sees it as a taboo. For many observers, this neutrality is regarded as acquincence and condonation. Who is ashamed of this Osu Caste System in Igbo land? This is no political indiference. This is all about human right abuse rooted in culture. Trying to put this website together, the technical and literal layouts, I discussed with some of my good Igbo friends. At least two of these friends said they could hardly believe my courage and told me to be careful. They mean that the public would think “you are an Osu” for standing up against a pain on the life of my people in general. One friend was sure that even when he has had several sexual relationships with Osu girls in the past, he would be ashamed of introducing one to his family. Some other Igbo people I spoke with asked the same old pointless and uncivilized question “Do you think you can change Igbo traditions?” Well, my answer has always been: “First, I want to change myself.” And for the sake of over 5 million Igbo men and women called Osu, Ume, Oru/Uhu, Akwasa, Mgbeke, Mgborie, Outcast, Untouchable, whatever and discriminated upon, let me be the first Igbo man to openly declare that “I don’t care what they think I’m as long as fellow Igbos on merit are not free to become Chiefs or Ezes in their home towns. As long as Igbo boys and girls in love (for above mentioned words) are not spontaneously free to choose their life partners in Igbo land, as long as our culture and tradition which suppose to unite us (under Osu) remain our weakness etc.” Among the Igbo people, those who are long-sighted do understand that agitation of discrimination within and between the same people is the best weapon, the fertilizer strangers need to grow even as parasites. It is sometimes upsetting that the Igbos of the present age and civilization tie themselves with this very ugly discrimination weapon cord around their waist while seeking equality as a group where ever they go. How could a set of people be so ignorant? Those people discriminated are not strangers, instead (go back to history) they are our brothers and sisters, part of us and the culture and tradition we want to preserve. If you’ve never thought about it, the Osu Caste System in Igbo land do you and I more harm as an Igbo person Nwadiala or not than the stupid egoistic satisfaction you assume you enjoy whenever you shy away from your duty of discouraging it. And the worst is the negative influence we leave on our children. In this case, one may say “shame on all of us Ndi Igbo.”
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