TN: from the Osu caste system to 'internal cohesion' of Nigerian nationalities
Dr. Val Ojo,
... the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from intellectual influences, are usually the slave of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. I am sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas ... sooner or later, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.
I do think the above statement by John Maynard Keynes best summarizes my view about supposed "irrelevant theorizing", seeming "jaw jawing about nothing" and assumed commitments to addressing "practical issues" and "practical problems".
It was not accidental that the Industrial Revolution and enthronement of liberal democracy in the West was in the wake of the (European) Enlightenment. The "upstart" countries also had to think through their identities to articulate them and be better "prepared" than Africa for example, before the present neoliberal age of globalization. And a major tragedy of our country, I would say, is such practical commitments of intellectuals (particularly many with PhDs....) to such vested interests as the defence of the "tribes" which is matched only by their disdain for "irrelevant theorizing" while their actions and (more really of) talk are actually rooted in the most backward of micro-nationalist theories!
All the same sir, if at least such addressing of "practical issues" remains at the level of addressing issues indeed here and not get sucked up in such non-theoretical and also non-practical (indeed diversionary, as more often than not these turn out to be) engagements....how beautiful it would be!
Anyway, egbon.....do have a wonderful Easter break.
My regards,
Baba Aye
*********************************************************************************
--- On Fri, 4/10/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo wrote:
Baba Alaye:
I have no time for these long-winded jaw-jawing about NOTHING.
I address practical issues.
All this irrelevant theorizing will not solve Nigeria's practical problems.
The 'Osu' saga is not a Yoruba problem, and it doesn't touch me personally in anyway.
What is the point of continuing this exchange?
I have moved on.
Dr. Valentine Ojo
Tall Timbers, MD
***********************************************************************************
On Fri 04/10/09 2:09 AM , Baba Aye baba_aye@yahoo.com sent:
Dr Val Ojo,
How is the 'agreement' of 'the majority' to be ascertained? Has 'internal cohesion' of the majority not more often than not been secured more through force (e.g. fascist Italy and Nazi Germany) or through 'consensus' rooted in some false consciousness or the other?
If we are to take the analogy of the need for a family to first agree on (at least) religion, why is it that it is, arguably, in the South West where the Yoruba, more than any of the other nationalities in the country have members of the same family belonging to diverse sects and denominations that we have witnessed the least of religious conflicts? Why is it on the converse in the core north where there is the dominance of one religion that we have witnessed the lion's share of religious crisis (and least it seems that Oh! these were directed against outsiders to that faith, the Maitatsine events of '80 -'85 were obviously moslem-on-moslem) ?
At the heart of my position are two interrelated points. The first is that real life does not exist in the linear sense of resolving first and then handling the other later. Yes, you could start a process on one level first (as with the Obama example you gave, which while initiated is still as on-going as the broader G20 steps). You do not resolve the challenges of being a husband first before addressing that of being a father. It is important here to point out that it is not as if any of the ethnic groups (or even Nigeria) is starting from point zero. The issue in contention here, from how I understand your take, is not about simultaneous beginnings, it is about the linear conclusion of one marking the beginning of the other and this is where we differ.
The second point amounts to the fact that in the process of their subsequent developments within the historical development of Nigeria, the different nationalities actually have been articulated into something not exactly what they were before. This is a salient position which Bala Usman for example advance in his arguments on Nigeria and its components. What distinguishes my Yorubaness for example from a Chike's Igboness or an Adamu's Hausaness? Are there not more similarities in our aspirations for better lives and a system that works for us and for our children than the issue of (first an ethno-regional) 'internal cohesion'? If we are to talk of 'internal cohesion' of the nationalities => 'union cohesion', where does that paradigm situate the Yoruba in neighbouring Benin and Togo (who are legitimate heirs of the Yoruba heritage and thus should be part of a cultural renaissance of the Yoruba)?
You come to the conclusion that I have no point because, with all due respect sir, you fail to see what I would otherwise have believed is a very obvious one, particularly here with regards to globalization. No country can first prepare itself now outside globalization to then decide on being part of it or not. It is a world-wide reality of interconnectedness with a few winners and a lot of losers. While it could be argued that some countries came into it better prepared, to think that we can first now prepare ourselves before getting into it is the perfect soup of wishful thinking from a cook book of obvious failure in strategizing. And that is at the crux of my point on Nigeria as well. How could a multi-faceted, multi-level approach be brought to bear realizing the multi-dimensional and multilayered character of the reality we are now living.
On a passing note, I must say it was quite surprising that you would call countries such as China, Korea and India "upstarts"! Opinions might be totally free of charge but facts are sacrosanct; these are countries with civilizations extending to some 6,000 years during which they have (particularly China which once again is a world power) given the world, paper, gun powder, silk, etc. The lands of these people was what Christopher Columbus was looking for when he discovered America, obviously because they were not upstarts then. They had their own modern-time renaissance not because the parts within them had to first cohere internally but because there were strong nation-state propelled industrialization projects which were considered pan-Chinese, pan-Korean or pan-Indian in their thrust, Because, then, they had elites that dared to look beyond the 'kobo kobo' for their pockets today to the greater glory of them as exploiters tomorrow!
On a final note, I would say not only is a linear approach to social progress -either historically or structurally- inadequate for coming to grips with the dynamis of our realities as Nigeria in a globalized world, 'internal cohesion' either at the union or nationalities level would be meaningless without it being part of a broader social transformative agenda, that would de-emphasis the centrifugal elements in our national polity.
My regards
Baba Aye
*************************************************************************************
--- On Wed, 4/8/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo .net> wrote:
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 9:08 AM
"Internal Cohesion" does not mean "Internal Cohesion of ALL". Rather,
the majority must be in agreement - this is the direction we want to
go, these are the people we wish to associate with, and these are the
terms.
If you cannot have this kind of "consensus" within the constituting
units, how do you expect any cohesion then at the "union level'?
Iro ni! Stop kidding yourself.
Even if the members of your nuclear family do not all agree, there
must be an agreement as to what religion you belong to, and which
church or parish.
You are Catholic, your wife is Muslim, your oldest daughter is
Celestial, the younger son has started his own church, etc., everyone
is doing his or her own thing, and you expect your family to join
together with other families to undertake reforms in the town?
How?
"That would be akin to saying countries must first sort themselves
out as countries first before choosing to be part of globalization,
which is already a reality being lived irrespective of however or to
what extent any country has pulled itself up by either its own boot
straps or the exploitation of other lands."
And those who join "globalization; " disunited and unprepared - like
Nigeria and most African countries - are the ones being brutally
exploited by the more prepared and more united ones, including even
recent upstarts like China, Korea, India...
Yes, sir, "That would be akin to saying countries must first sort
themselves out as countries first before choosing to be part of
globalization. .." or you merely end up being exploited by the others.
They are ALL EXPLOITING Africa today - especially Nigeria.
Sir, you have no point. Yours is a recipe for continued failure.
If you cannot lead your house, you cannot lead a church or town!
If you cannot unite your house, your family, you cannot unite
anyone.
Barack Obama is proving my point by his example - he first tried to
unite most Americans behind him, then Canada and Mexico, his immediate
neighbors, before venturing out to reach out to Europe and Asia.
Africa he has studiously ignored because you all are so busy
fighting amongst yourselves you have no clue what the rest of the
world is doing.
You DON'T matte - except to be EXPLOITED!
Dr. Valentine Ojo
***********************************************************************************
Dr. Val Ojo,
I do agree with most of the views in yours below. I however do not
think that enthroning the "internal cohesion" of the various nations
and nationalities within the Nigerian federation is either a pre- or
post- forging a pan-Nigerian reality task (I actually do not see
'internal cohesion' of any nation or nationality as an absolute
possibility, really, for several reasons. The primary one of these
being the existence in virtually all nationalities of contending and
-possibly- irreconcilable interests).
Assuming it were both desirable and possible, it would not, in my
opinion, be something to do "first". That would be akin to saying
countries must first sort themselves out as countries first before
choosing to be part of globalization, which is already a reality
being lived irrespective of however or to what extent any country has
pulled itself up by either its own boot straps or the exploitation of
other lands.
The challenge of our lived social reality is that of a concurrent
forging of "internal cohesion", or more properly put in my view,
socio-cultural development (involving and resulting in the
transcendence of such backward practices of the osu system as was the
case of twin births amongst the Efiks/Ibibios/ Anangs, a few centuries
back) at both the ethno-national and pan-Nigerian levels.
My regards,
Baba Aye
*************************************************************************************
--- On Wed, 4/8/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo wrote:
"you’d have taken your fight to a logical and conclusive end (to
show that you are really sincere and/or serious about ending this
“apartheid” or “osutheid”) by MARRYING one of the osus--- at
least the ones in your town (Umuaka)."!
Ogom Nwoke Azuoma Anugom:
I find the open discussion of the problem of "Osu" among the Igbo
very laudable, and very educating.
These are the kinds of issues we should first address - those
mitigating against "internal cohesion" among our various ethnic
groups
- and each ethnic group has its own basket of "wahala" which may be
different from the "Osu" caste issue - rather than this permanent
attempt the balme on the other ethnicitoies that "don't like us".
Our NOT LIKING ourselves is the first problem to address.
If we are able to address these first, then we would be better
positioned to bring the best of our respectuive ethnic cultures to
the
national table in Abuja, and hope to build a vibrant and
kaleidoscopic
"Nigerian culture"!
Having said that, I beg to disagree with the above "logical and
conclusive end":
1. Ikenna Anokute marrying someone from the "Osu" caste would not
have "concluded" or "ended" END the practice, since Ikenna is only
one person. This is a societal practice.
[It would have been a different issue, if Ikenna had an "Osu"
girlfriend he would have married, but did not marry for the fact
that
she was "Osu", regardless of which village she came from.]
2. You do not go out to pick your wife or husband merely to prove a
"point". I have nothing against Muslims. Must I then go out to marry
a
Muslim to prove my point?
I have nothing against whites? Must I marry a white wife to prove
my
point?
I DEFINITELY did not chose my Igbo wife to "prove" I do not "hate"
the Igbo. I married a woman of my choice, a person I believed I
could
live with in peace and happily under one roof, and with whom I
believe
I can raise a family.
Not because she is Igbo!
She could have been Akwa Ibom or Zulu!
Dr. Valentine Ojo
Tall Timbers, MD
**********************************************************************************
On Tue 04/07/09 8:17 PM , Azuoma Anugom
"…But as I grow older , got an EDUCATION , my views became liberal
. And I have fought ever since to change this inhumane dogma. I
wrote
term papers on it in College , and over the years , have written
dozens of essays and Reports on the issue . If we have to end this
horrible culture , or tradition , or heritage , it has to start from
this generation . Not next"---Ikenna Anokute . Ikenna my brother,
Your passion for the abolition of this evil practice in Igbo land is
very commendable. I am all for abolishing this culture that
diminishes the Igbos collectively. We need folks like you who are
liberal minded and willing to fight to wipe out this inhumane dogma
from our culture. Anyway, your statements above that I excerpted
fall
short of meeting the required threshold for sincerity--- I may be
mistaken. Pardon me, I was expecting that after you have grown
older,
gotten education, wrote term papers on the issue of osu in college,
condemned the practice; you’d have taken your fight to a logical
and
conclusive end (to show that you are really sincere and/or serious
about ending this “apartheid” or “osutheid”) by MARRYING
one
of the osus--- at least the ones in your town (Umuaka). Well,
now
you have carefully or mistakenly maintained the status quo by
marrying
fellow diala, I hope you will let your sons and daughters break down
this man- made wall of separation? I understand that Umuaka folks
are
so traditional and there is open discrimination against a section of
the town named after your local market. Well, take this war to
Umuaka—start from there. We can only do so much on the internet.
Go
home and preach to your folks and if you can win at least 10
converts
you have done your fair share and on your way to becoming the next
Martin Luther kIng Jr. Ndewo.
Azuoma Anugom
--- On Tue, 4/7/09, Ikenna Anokute com> wrote:
From: Ikenna Anokute com>
Subject: [NIDOA] SHAMEFUL : The story of Nigeria's 'untouchables'
To: NIDOA@yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 7:05 AM
" But the fear of social stigma is still strong - to the point
that most would never admit to being an OSU . They fear the
consequencies for their families in generations to come or at the
hands of people who still believe in the old ways...... " Folks ,
This is exactly the core of the matter . If people whose families
are
so stigmatized had mobolized a strong Civil Right movement ( because
that's what it is : a civil rights issue ) , the issue could have
been
desolved . The silence has been too long and hurting . Ndigbo must
confront it head-on . Just last week , I searched to see if
Nollywood
had produced a movie that dealth exclusively on this issue of OSU .
To
my surprise , no film had told the story . Never mind that the
Industry is dominated by Ndigbo . The long silence is perhaps why
Igbo
Unity continue to be elusive . Why would a stigmatized Osu want a
Biafra where he/she will be denied FREEDOM ? The logic is only fair
.
It is like black Americans who fought during World-War 2 coming home
to face jim-crow . That was an urgly situation then . Yes , it was .
Then imagine that an Igbo would discriminate against another , yet
they want Unity . How could that be possible ? Sadly , we all
must
admit that this culture has caused an irreparable damage to the
psyche
of Ndigbo . I was also brainwashed growing up in my villlage . I
remember a grandmother lecturing me on the dangers of associating
with
THEM . As a ten-year old , I believed every word she told me . Back
then , it was scary to see THEM pass my compound , on their way to
the
market . We never say nothing to THEM . And THEY'LL smile and pass
... But as I grow older , got an EDUCATION , my views became
liberal . And I have fought ever since to change this inhumane dogma
.
I wrote term papers on it in College , and over the years , have
written dozens of essays and Reports on the issue . If we have to
end
this horrible culture , or tradition , or heritage , it has to start
from this generation . Not next . Anokute , New York , New York
**********************************************************************************
THE STORY OF NIGERIA'S 'UNTOUCHABLES '
By Andrew Walker
BBC News, Enugu, Nigeria
Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie wants to break the stigma of being 'Osu'
Pastor Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie is about to make an admission that
virtually no Nigerian like him would be prepared to make. "My
grandfather was an Osu," he says. He is standing outside his church
in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria, clutching his Bible which he
believes
has saved him from being a marked man. Among the Igbo people of
eastern Nigeria the Osu are outcasts, the equivalent of being an
"untouchable" . Years ago he and his family would be shunned by
society, banished from communal land, banned from village life and
refused the right to marry anyone not from an Osu family. Marriage
The vehemence of the tradition has weakened over the last 50 years.
I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and running away
Prof Ben Obumselu
Nowadays the only trouble the Osu encounter is when they try and
get
married. But the fear of social stigma is still strong - to the
point
that most would never admit to being an Osu. They fear the
consequences for their families in generations to come or at the
hands
of people who still believe in the old ways. It took the BBC a long
time track down an Osu willing to talk, Igbo journalists, human
rights
advocates, academics and politicians could suggest no-one. It was
only by chance that Cosmos admitted his family were Osu after an
interview with the Pentecostal church - known to oppose the
tradition.
Now a born-again Christian, he has had a hard fight to escape the
stigma of the Osu. Sacrifice People say the Osu are the
descendants
of people sacrificed to the gods, hundreds of years ago.
The village said the reason I was ill was I was being possessed
by the spirit of my grandfather, and he was angry that we had
rejected
the old ways
Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie
But an academic who has researched Igbo traditions says he believes
the Osu were actually a kind of "living sacrifice" to the gods from
the community. "I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and
running away," says Professor Ben Obumselu, former vice-president of
the influential Igbo organisation Ohaneze Ndi Igbo. "They were
banned
from all forms of civil society; they had no land, lived in the
shrine
of the gods, and if they could, would farm the land next to the
road."
"It was believed that they had been dedicated to the gods, that
they
belonged to them, rather then the world of the human," he said.
Nigeria's growing cities began to break down such traditions of
village life, he says. "If someone lives in Lagos these days, the
only time a person may come into contact with it is when they are
planning to get married. They go home to tell their families, their
parents turn around and say, 'No you can't marry because they're
Osu.'" Initiated Cosmos' father had denounced the traditional
beliefs that made him an outcast from society.
The Osu are considered to be 'living sacrifices" to spirits
He raised Cosmos to be a Christian too, hoping the bloodline of the
Osu would be broken. But when Cosmos was a child his grandfather
died
and at around the same time Cosmos fell sick. "The village said the
reason I was ill was I was being possessed by the spirit of my
grandfather, and he was angry that we had rejected the old ways," he
said. The village elders put pressure on his father to initiate
Cosmos into the old traditions and culture. It was either that, or
he
would die, they said. So he left church, learnt about the spirits
and
his status in the village. Outlaw But this ostracism, he now
believes, left him without "moral direction". He became an
itinerant
smuggler and outlaw, bringing in goods illegally over Nigeria's
northern border from Niger.
The continued belief in ritual avoidance has caused great harm
to
society
Prof Ben Obumselu
Eventually he was arrested and thrown in jail. "It was in the
prison yard that I was born again," he said. "When I believed in
the
old ways, I could not marry or be part of my community," he said.
"Now I've been born again, I have rejected all that, and my wife,
she
is born again too, and doesn't care about it either." His wife's
family had also rejected the traditions of the Osu and did not
object
to their daughter's choice of husband. Education advantage Other
Osu
have been able to use the ostracism to their advantage, says Mr
Obumselu. Unable to make a way in village life, some Osu embraced
"Western" education and became Nigeria's first doctors and lawyers,
he
says. Consequently many of modern Igboland's prominent families are
Osu. So why does the stigma remain? Mr Obumselu says the
traditions
have a lingering hold on people because they are not sure how much
power the "old ways" still have. Traditionally the Osu are treated
as
a people apart, but were never the victims of violence. But today
some community conflicts have erupted between people each accusing
the
other of being Osu, Mr Obumselu says. "The continued belief in
ritual
avoidance has caused great harm to society, especially in Enugu."
Pentecostal churches, like Mr Chiedozie's, are having an effect and
a
growing population may also drown out the stigma of being Osu, says
Mr
Obumselu. "After all, if in 1800 there might only be a handful of
Osu
in any place, in 2000 it may be a third of the village!"
... the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from intellectual influences, are usually the slave of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. I am sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas ... sooner or later, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.
I do think the above statement by John Maynard Keynes best summarizes my view about supposed "irrelevant theorizing", seeming "jaw jawing about nothing" and assumed commitments to addressing "practical issues" and "practical problems".
It was not accidental that the Industrial Revolution and enthronement of liberal democracy in the West was in the wake of the (European) Enlightenment. The "upstart" countries also had to think through their identities to articulate them and be better "prepared" than Africa for example, before the present neoliberal age of globalization. And a major tragedy of our country, I would say, is such practical commitments of intellectuals (particularly many with PhDs....) to such vested interests as the defence of the "tribes" which is matched only by their disdain for "irrelevant theorizing" while their actions and (more really of) talk are actually rooted in the most backward of micro-nationalist theories!
All the same sir, if at least such addressing of "practical issues" remains at the level of addressing issues indeed here and not get sucked up in such non-theoretical and also non-practical (indeed diversionary, as more often than not these turn out to be) engagements....how beautiful it would be!
Anyway, egbon.....do have a wonderful Easter break.
My regards,
Baba Aye
*********************************************************************************
--- On Fri, 4/10/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo wrote:
Baba Alaye:
I have no time for these long-winded jaw-jawing about NOTHING.
I address practical issues.
All this irrelevant theorizing will not solve Nigeria's practical problems.
The 'Osu' saga is not a Yoruba problem, and it doesn't touch me personally in anyway.
What is the point of continuing this exchange?
I have moved on.
Dr. Valentine Ojo
Tall Timbers, MD
***********************************************************************************
On Fri 04/10/09 2:09 AM , Baba Aye baba_aye@yahoo.com sent:
Dr Val Ojo,
How is the 'agreement' of 'the majority' to be ascertained? Has 'internal cohesion' of the majority not more often than not been secured more through force (e.g. fascist Italy and Nazi Germany) or through 'consensus' rooted in some false consciousness or the other?
If we are to take the analogy of the need for a family to first agree on (at least) religion, why is it that it is, arguably, in the South West where the Yoruba, more than any of the other nationalities in the country have members of the same family belonging to diverse sects and denominations that we have witnessed the least of religious conflicts? Why is it on the converse in the core north where there is the dominance of one religion that we have witnessed the lion's share of religious crisis (and least it seems that Oh! these were directed against outsiders to that faith, the Maitatsine events of '80 -'85 were obviously moslem-on-moslem) ?
At the heart of my position are two interrelated points. The first is that real life does not exist in the linear sense of resolving first and then handling the other later. Yes, you could start a process on one level first (as with the Obama example you gave, which while initiated is still as on-going as the broader G20 steps). You do not resolve the challenges of being a husband first before addressing that of being a father. It is important here to point out that it is not as if any of the ethnic groups (or even Nigeria) is starting from point zero. The issue in contention here, from how I understand your take, is not about simultaneous beginnings, it is about the linear conclusion of one marking the beginning of the other and this is where we differ.
The second point amounts to the fact that in the process of their subsequent developments within the historical development of Nigeria, the different nationalities actually have been articulated into something not exactly what they were before. This is a salient position which Bala Usman for example advance in his arguments on Nigeria and its components. What distinguishes my Yorubaness for example from a Chike's Igboness or an Adamu's Hausaness? Are there not more similarities in our aspirations for better lives and a system that works for us and for our children than the issue of (first an ethno-regional) 'internal cohesion'? If we are to talk of 'internal cohesion' of the nationalities => 'union cohesion', where does that paradigm situate the Yoruba in neighbouring Benin and Togo (who are legitimate heirs of the Yoruba heritage and thus should be part of a cultural renaissance of the Yoruba)?
You come to the conclusion that I have no point because, with all due respect sir, you fail to see what I would otherwise have believed is a very obvious one, particularly here with regards to globalization. No country can first prepare itself now outside globalization to then decide on being part of it or not. It is a world-wide reality of interconnectedness with a few winners and a lot of losers. While it could be argued that some countries came into it better prepared, to think that we can first now prepare ourselves before getting into it is the perfect soup of wishful thinking from a cook book of obvious failure in strategizing. And that is at the crux of my point on Nigeria as well. How could a multi-faceted, multi-level approach be brought to bear realizing the multi-dimensional and multilayered character of the reality we are now living.
On a passing note, I must say it was quite surprising that you would call countries such as China, Korea and India "upstarts"! Opinions might be totally free of charge but facts are sacrosanct; these are countries with civilizations extending to some 6,000 years during which they have (particularly China which once again is a world power) given the world, paper, gun powder, silk, etc. The lands of these people was what Christopher Columbus was looking for when he discovered America, obviously because they were not upstarts then. They had their own modern-time renaissance not because the parts within them had to first cohere internally but because there were strong nation-state propelled industrialization projects which were considered pan-Chinese, pan-Korean or pan-Indian in their thrust, Because, then, they had elites that dared to look beyond the 'kobo kobo' for their pockets today to the greater glory of them as exploiters tomorrow!
On a final note, I would say not only is a linear approach to social progress -either historically or structurally- inadequate for coming to grips with the dynamis of our realities as Nigeria in a globalized world, 'internal cohesion' either at the union or nationalities level would be meaningless without it being part of a broader social transformative agenda, that would de-emphasis the centrifugal elements in our national polity.
My regards
Baba Aye
*************************************************************************************
--- On Wed, 4/8/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo .net> wrote:
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 9:08 AM
"Internal Cohesion" does not mean "Internal Cohesion of ALL". Rather,
the majority must be in agreement - this is the direction we want to
go, these are the people we wish to associate with, and these are the
terms.
If you cannot have this kind of "consensus" within the constituting
units, how do you expect any cohesion then at the "union level'?
Iro ni! Stop kidding yourself.
Even if the members of your nuclear family do not all agree, there
must be an agreement as to what religion you belong to, and which
church or parish.
You are Catholic, your wife is Muslim, your oldest daughter is
Celestial, the younger son has started his own church, etc., everyone
is doing his or her own thing, and you expect your family to join
together with other families to undertake reforms in the town?
How?
"That would be akin to saying countries must first sort themselves
out as countries first before choosing to be part of globalization,
which is already a reality being lived irrespective of however or to
what extent any country has pulled itself up by either its own boot
straps or the exploitation of other lands."
And those who join "globalization; " disunited and unprepared - like
Nigeria and most African countries - are the ones being brutally
exploited by the more prepared and more united ones, including even
recent upstarts like China, Korea, India...
Yes, sir, "That would be akin to saying countries must first sort
themselves out as countries first before choosing to be part of
globalization. .." or you merely end up being exploited by the others.
They are ALL EXPLOITING Africa today - especially Nigeria.
Sir, you have no point. Yours is a recipe for continued failure.
If you cannot lead your house, you cannot lead a church or town!
If you cannot unite your house, your family, you cannot unite
anyone.
Barack Obama is proving my point by his example - he first tried to
unite most Americans behind him, then Canada and Mexico, his immediate
neighbors, before venturing out to reach out to Europe and Asia.
Africa he has studiously ignored because you all are so busy
fighting amongst yourselves you have no clue what the rest of the
world is doing.
You DON'T matte - except to be EXPLOITED!
Dr. Valentine Ojo
***********************************************************************************
Dr. Val Ojo,
I do agree with most of the views in yours below. I however do not
think that enthroning the "internal cohesion" of the various nations
and nationalities within the Nigerian federation is either a pre- or
post- forging a pan-Nigerian reality task (I actually do not see
'internal cohesion' of any nation or nationality as an absolute
possibility, really, for several reasons. The primary one of these
being the existence in virtually all nationalities of contending and
-possibly- irreconcilable interests).
Assuming it were both desirable and possible, it would not, in my
opinion, be something to do "first". That would be akin to saying
countries must first sort themselves out as countries first before
choosing to be part of globalization, which is already a reality
being lived irrespective of however or to what extent any country has
pulled itself up by either its own boot straps or the exploitation of
other lands.
The challenge of our lived social reality is that of a concurrent
forging of "internal cohesion", or more properly put in my view,
socio-cultural development (involving and resulting in the
transcendence of such backward practices of the osu system as was the
case of twin births amongst the Efiks/Ibibios/ Anangs, a few centuries
back) at both the ethno-national and pan-Nigerian levels.
My regards,
Baba Aye
*************************************************************************************
--- On Wed, 4/8/09, Dr. Valentine Ojo wrote:
"you’d have taken your fight to a logical and conclusive end (to
show that you are really sincere and/or serious about ending this
“apartheid” or “osutheid”) by MARRYING one of the osus--- at
least the ones in your town (Umuaka)."!
Ogom Nwoke Azuoma Anugom:
I find the open discussion of the problem of "Osu" among the Igbo
very laudable, and very educating.
These are the kinds of issues we should first address - those
mitigating against "internal cohesion" among our various ethnic
groups
- and each ethnic group has its own basket of "wahala" which may be
different from the "Osu" caste issue - rather than this permanent
attempt the balme on the other ethnicitoies that "don't like us".
Our NOT LIKING ourselves is the first problem to address.
If we are able to address these first, then we would be better
positioned to bring the best of our respectuive ethnic cultures to
the
national table in Abuja, and hope to build a vibrant and
kaleidoscopic
"Nigerian culture"!
Having said that, I beg to disagree with the above "logical and
conclusive end":
1. Ikenna Anokute marrying someone from the "Osu" caste would not
have "concluded" or "ended" END the practice, since Ikenna is only
one person. This is a societal practice.
[It would have been a different issue, if Ikenna had an "Osu"
girlfriend he would have married, but did not marry for the fact
that
she was "Osu", regardless of which village she came from.]
2. You do not go out to pick your wife or husband merely to prove a
"point". I have nothing against Muslims. Must I then go out to marry
a
Muslim to prove my point?
I have nothing against whites? Must I marry a white wife to prove
my
point?
I DEFINITELY did not chose my Igbo wife to "prove" I do not "hate"
the Igbo. I married a woman of my choice, a person I believed I
could
live with in peace and happily under one roof, and with whom I
believe
I can raise a family.
Not because she is Igbo!
She could have been Akwa Ibom or Zulu!
Dr. Valentine Ojo
Tall Timbers, MD
**********************************************************************************
On Tue 04/07/09 8:17 PM , Azuoma Anugom
"…But as I grow older , got an EDUCATION , my views became liberal
. And I have fought ever since to change this inhumane dogma. I
wrote
term papers on it in College , and over the years , have written
dozens of essays and Reports on the issue . If we have to end this
horrible culture , or tradition , or heritage , it has to start from
this generation . Not next"---Ikenna Anokute . Ikenna my brother,
Your passion for the abolition of this evil practice in Igbo land is
very commendable. I am all for abolishing this culture that
diminishes the Igbos collectively. We need folks like you who are
liberal minded and willing to fight to wipe out this inhumane dogma
from our culture. Anyway, your statements above that I excerpted
fall
short of meeting the required threshold for sincerity--- I may be
mistaken. Pardon me, I was expecting that after you have grown
older,
gotten education, wrote term papers on the issue of osu in college,
condemned the practice; you’d have taken your fight to a logical
and
conclusive end (to show that you are really sincere and/or serious
about ending this “apartheid” or “osutheid”) by MARRYING
one
of the osus--- at least the ones in your town (Umuaka). Well,
now
you have carefully or mistakenly maintained the status quo by
marrying
fellow diala, I hope you will let your sons and daughters break down
this man- made wall of separation? I understand that Umuaka folks
are
so traditional and there is open discrimination against a section of
the town named after your local market. Well, take this war to
Umuaka—start from there. We can only do so much on the internet.
Go
home and preach to your folks and if you can win at least 10
converts
you have done your fair share and on your way to becoming the next
Martin Luther kIng Jr. Ndewo.
Azuoma Anugom
--- On Tue, 4/7/09, Ikenna Anokute com> wrote:
From: Ikenna Anokute com>
Subject: [NIDOA] SHAMEFUL : The story of Nigeria's 'untouchables'
To: NIDOA@yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 7:05 AM
" But the fear of social stigma is still strong - to the point
that most would never admit to being an OSU . They fear the
consequencies for their families in generations to come or at the
hands of people who still believe in the old ways...... " Folks ,
This is exactly the core of the matter . If people whose families
are
so stigmatized had mobolized a strong Civil Right movement ( because
that's what it is : a civil rights issue ) , the issue could have
been
desolved . The silence has been too long and hurting . Ndigbo must
confront it head-on . Just last week , I searched to see if
Nollywood
had produced a movie that dealth exclusively on this issue of OSU .
To
my surprise , no film had told the story . Never mind that the
Industry is dominated by Ndigbo . The long silence is perhaps why
Igbo
Unity continue to be elusive . Why would a stigmatized Osu want a
Biafra where he/she will be denied FREEDOM ? The logic is only fair
.
It is like black Americans who fought during World-War 2 coming home
to face jim-crow . That was an urgly situation then . Yes , it was .
Then imagine that an Igbo would discriminate against another , yet
they want Unity . How could that be possible ? Sadly , we all
must
admit that this culture has caused an irreparable damage to the
psyche
of Ndigbo . I was also brainwashed growing up in my villlage . I
remember a grandmother lecturing me on the dangers of associating
with
THEM . As a ten-year old , I believed every word she told me . Back
then , it was scary to see THEM pass my compound , on their way to
the
market . We never say nothing to THEM . And THEY'LL smile and pass
... But as I grow older , got an EDUCATION , my views became
liberal . And I have fought ever since to change this inhumane dogma
.
I wrote term papers on it in College , and over the years , have
written dozens of essays and Reports on the issue . If we have to
end
this horrible culture , or tradition , or heritage , it has to start
from this generation . Not next . Anokute , New York , New York
**********************************************************************************
THE STORY OF NIGERIA'S 'UNTOUCHABLES '
By Andrew Walker
BBC News, Enugu, Nigeria
Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie wants to break the stigma of being 'Osu'
Pastor Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie is about to make an admission that
virtually no Nigerian like him would be prepared to make. "My
grandfather was an Osu," he says. He is standing outside his church
in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria, clutching his Bible which he
believes
has saved him from being a marked man. Among the Igbo people of
eastern Nigeria the Osu are outcasts, the equivalent of being an
"untouchable" . Years ago he and his family would be shunned by
society, banished from communal land, banned from village life and
refused the right to marry anyone not from an Osu family. Marriage
The vehemence of the tradition has weakened over the last 50 years.
I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and running away
Prof Ben Obumselu
Nowadays the only trouble the Osu encounter is when they try and
get
married. But the fear of social stigma is still strong - to the
point
that most would never admit to being an Osu. They fear the
consequences for their families in generations to come or at the
hands
of people who still believe in the old ways. It took the BBC a long
time track down an Osu willing to talk, Igbo journalists, human
rights
advocates, academics and politicians could suggest no-one. It was
only by chance that Cosmos admitted his family were Osu after an
interview with the Pentecostal church - known to oppose the
tradition.
Now a born-again Christian, he has had a hard fight to escape the
stigma of the Osu. Sacrifice People say the Osu are the
descendants
of people sacrificed to the gods, hundreds of years ago.
The village said the reason I was ill was I was being possessed
by the spirit of my grandfather, and he was angry that we had
rejected
the old ways
Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie
But an academic who has researched Igbo traditions says he believes
the Osu were actually a kind of "living sacrifice" to the gods from
the community. "I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and
running away," says Professor Ben Obumselu, former vice-president of
the influential Igbo organisation Ohaneze Ndi Igbo. "They were
banned
from all forms of civil society; they had no land, lived in the
shrine
of the gods, and if they could, would farm the land next to the
road."
"It was believed that they had been dedicated to the gods, that
they
belonged to them, rather then the world of the human," he said.
Nigeria's growing cities began to break down such traditions of
village life, he says. "If someone lives in Lagos these days, the
only time a person may come into contact with it is when they are
planning to get married. They go home to tell their families, their
parents turn around and say, 'No you can't marry because they're
Osu.'" Initiated Cosmos' father had denounced the traditional
beliefs that made him an outcast from society.
The Osu are considered to be 'living sacrifices" to spirits
He raised Cosmos to be a Christian too, hoping the bloodline of the
Osu would be broken. But when Cosmos was a child his grandfather
died
and at around the same time Cosmos fell sick. "The village said the
reason I was ill was I was being possessed by the spirit of my
grandfather, and he was angry that we had rejected the old ways," he
said. The village elders put pressure on his father to initiate
Cosmos into the old traditions and culture. It was either that, or
he
would die, they said. So he left church, learnt about the spirits
and
his status in the village. Outlaw But this ostracism, he now
believes, left him without "moral direction". He became an
itinerant
smuggler and outlaw, bringing in goods illegally over Nigeria's
northern border from Niger.
The continued belief in ritual avoidance has caused great harm
to
society
Prof Ben Obumselu
Eventually he was arrested and thrown in jail. "It was in the
prison yard that I was born again," he said. "When I believed in
the
old ways, I could not marry or be part of my community," he said.
"Now I've been born again, I have rejected all that, and my wife,
she
is born again too, and doesn't care about it either." His wife's
family had also rejected the traditions of the Osu and did not
object
to their daughter's choice of husband. Education advantage Other
Osu
have been able to use the ostracism to their advantage, says Mr
Obumselu. Unable to make a way in village life, some Osu embraced
"Western" education and became Nigeria's first doctors and lawyers,
he
says. Consequently many of modern Igboland's prominent families are
Osu. So why does the stigma remain? Mr Obumselu says the
traditions
have a lingering hold on people because they are not sure how much
power the "old ways" still have. Traditionally the Osu are treated
as
a people apart, but were never the victims of violence. But today
some community conflicts have erupted between people each accusing
the
other of being Osu, Mr Obumselu says. "The continued belief in
ritual
avoidance has caused great harm to society, especially in Enugu."
Pentecostal churches, like Mr Chiedozie's, are having an effect and
a
growing population may also drown out the stigma of being Osu, says
Mr
Obumselu. "After all, if in 1800 there might only be a handful of
Osu
in any place, in 2000 it may be a third of the village!"
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