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Igbo traditional rulers call for an end to the Osu caste system
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Igbo traditional rulers call for an end to the Osu caste system

From Premium Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Traditional rulers in Anambra and Enugu states called for the abolition of the Osu caste practice, describing it as discriminatory and incompatible with human equality.
  • They made the appeal while receiving the team behind “Properties of the Gods,” a Nollywood film about the system and its effects in Igboland.
  • The film is scheduled for a nationwide cinema premiere on Sept. 4, while the rulers said education, advocacy and social acceptance would be needed alongside legislation.

The Osu caste system is a “disgrace” that must end, the Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Achebe, said as he received the team behind a new Nollywood film addressing the practice.

Achebe, along with Nnewi traditional ruler Kenneth Orizu and Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council chairman Samuel Asadu, made the call during separate palace visits by the producer, directors and crew of “Properties of the Gods.” The team was seeking the rulers’ blessings before the film’s nationwide cinema premiere on Sept. 4.

Ignorance drives superstition, which is anachronistic in the 21st century.

— Alfred AchebeThe Obi of Onitsha criticized the beliefs that have allowed the Osu practice to persist.

The film, produced by Nollywood actor Joseph Okechukwu, examines the Osu system and its effects on people in Igboland. Achebe said ignorance had allowed superstitious beliefs and practices to persist despite advances in knowledge and civilization. “Ignorance drives superstition, which is anachronistic in the 21st century,” he said. “All human beings are equal in the eyes of God, who created all of us. Whether you are black, yellow or white, tall or short, man or woman, we are all created in His own image.”

All human beings are equal in the eyes of God, who created all of us. Whether you are black, yellow or white, tall or short, man or woman, we are all created in His own image.

— Alfred AchebeAchebe argued that no person or group should be treated as an underclass.

Achebe said legislation alone might not eradicate the practice. He called for mass mobilization, sustained advocacy and a change in public attitudes. He also said Onitsha did not operate the system in its conventional form, because its traditional institution interpreted the term differently.

Orizu, speaking through Nnewi Crown Prince Obi Orizu, recalled the Nnewi traditional institution’s decision to abolish the system. He said the decision followed questions about why some people should remain in bondage and be denied the freedom and opportunities to prosper. The ban, he said, continued to produce benefits and could serve as an example for other communities.

This discrimination must end forever.

— Alfred AchebeThe traditional ruler urged communities to abolish the Osu system.
About this summary

Originally published by Premium Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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