Thread by @maazi_ogbonnaya

Whether osu is an outcast, downcast, podcast, whatever cast it is...I don't care, people should stop already to segregate one another. We should educate ourselves so that we can educate our children. Our fathers took from their fathers who took from their fathers and the

segregation still linger mostly out of ignorance and cultural unawareness.

For me to bring it out is not because I want to paint us black, but because I know that some people still ask that stupid question when meeting a lady or a guy.

I am talking about 21st century you go on a date with someone who should be a university graduate or whatever, he or she will ask you:

"Are you an osu?"

This is no.nsense

There are many ways one could become an osu in the past. This comes to the question:

Who is an osu?

When one run to an arụsị for protection, he might promise the arụsị that his first son will be dedicated to it. That first son is an osu. He was to serve the agbara. Unfortunately, his lineage will be regarded as osu. They are dedicated to the agbara.

When there is war, one run to agbara for protection, he might become an osu to serve..

When one commit a crime and the punishment be unbearable, if he runs to the agbara, you dare not beat him else you will die.

Some willingly decided to give themselves to serve agbara or arụsị.

This was a cultural practice in the past, not evil. It's well accepted.

Initially, they were being feared. The reason is fear of agbara to strike whoever inflict pains on them.

They were like those serving in the temple. Some served as priests.

How classism started was that an osu can marry an osu but not Amadị or amadụ. Amadị is a freeborn. He has business of service with agbara.

Because one has promised to dedicate himself to the agbara,

his household too, others will have to respect themselves in order not to tamper with what belongs to the agbara.

The society where this culture was practised lived in peace until the coming of the white man. No one wanted to associate with anything agbara.

If they see you going to the shrine or anything, the stigmatization linger.

I am not going to say I am proud of this osu classism but those who started it didn't have in mind the kind of stigmatization it later turned to. And again, they acted based on their conviction then

and cultural belief. It wasn't evil then.

But it shocks me that in 21 century, some of us are still talking nonsense about this use.less stigmatization.

A friend of mine wanted to marry a beautiful lady he met from Mbanọ,

someone who's well educated was telling him not to marry the girl, she's an osu.

Really?

I trust my guy. He went ahead and married his beautiful bride.

OSU does not mean evil.

Those who bear name as:

Nwosu
Osuala
Osuagwụ
Osuigwe

are not osu.

OSU means a master of his art in some dialect of IGBO. Don't assume everyone answering the aforementioned names is a descendant of an osu.

OSU +igwe= osuigwe= a skillful person in smithing/iron

OSU + agwụ= Osuagwụ= a skillful person in divining/ master of diviner.

Just as we have "di" or "ọkaa" to mean an expert, professional and co .

OSU people were expert in their services to the arụsị. They take care of ihu arụsị to ensure they are neat. They are like messengers.

Because the religious practice of the Igbo was beyond western adulteration no one stigmatized them the way they do now, instead, they were respected and feared cos nobody wants to provoke agbara.

That fear gave in to unncessary stigmatization especially when the white man come as well as foreign religious indocrinization that kicked against our traditional belief system.

Let's leave osu aside. When you tell an average Igbo man or woman now that you don't go to church,

what will happen? How will they see you?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Ok. You go to church but different denomination not their own church and you want to marry their daughter....

There's stigmatization. Imagine the kind of stigmatization those serving the arụsị faced that gave birth to what we have now.

Just as we have a saying: "ihe ọjọọ gbaa afọ ọ bụrụ omenala".

Why are some of our parents still proving stubborn and you join them to cancel marriages because you are being told a family lineage is an osu? What makes them different from you? How many head, eyes, mouth and nose do they have?

This was a cultural practise done when people were still blind. Culture is dynamic and changes over time. Why do you have to linger this from generation to generation?

Some will tell you no.nsense like: "you are too young to understand this".

This is what their fathers told them. They will still keep passing the same no.nsensical rhetoric to another generation. The real culture that should be conveyed from generation to generation as regard language; Igbo Language is dying but they clung on useless stigmatization

they are even ignorant of because if anyone even understand the meaning and concept of osu, there is no way you will treat anybody badly.

My point is, change. No one run to arụsị again. Allow people live their lives. Stop wickedness and assuming it's a culture.

You will go to obodo oyibo, marry a white woman, do you ask whether she's osu or Amadị? That is cultural hypocrisy.

I see some coming my DM to tell me osu is deeper as I think. The same thing your fathers told you. Why is your father not worshiping agbara Ikeduru & Igwekaala?

Why is he not workshopping Odudu?

If you see anyone you want to spend the rest of your life with, marry. Stop this no.nsense of "I met my soul-mate but she is an osu".

Ihe ọjọọ gbaa afọ ọ bụrụ omenala. Stop segregation and stigmatization.

Many communities have put this behind but from comments I read here, there is trouble. Some of our youths still carry this in mind. Stop it already.

The essence of ịjụ ase is to know about the family. Do they have madness or certain level of illness?

Are they kleptomaniac family? In this 21st century you go asking one whether he is osu or not, a kụjaa gị isi, i buru ọnụ akpụ lawa.

We should know that not every culture is invoke now. This stigmatization should be trashed.

Keep educating your parents who blocked their hearts on this. This is not about what an elder sit down and see. Ọga, you see nothing aside ignorance that lingered over the years cos if you really understand what is osu, you will not act with this level of attitude towards anyone

You should also go back to the century it's practised and behave like our forebears who instituted it. You can't be driving a good car, living in a good house and be shouting osu is our culture. Go into the forest and hunt. Trek to Lagos by foot.

Cultural revolution and evolution is an important aspect of human cultural and capital development.

©Maazị Ogbonnaya Okoro

@ronaldnzimora Nwanne m, I saw your tweet in the morning. Truth is, I was yet to explain the message of yesterday. Here is my take on it.

Perhaps the message was misunderstood. I meant that when OSU was institutionalised, the purpose wasn't for segregation it ended up becoming.