OSU CASTE: A CRITIQUE: Emmanuel Okonkwo 55 OSU CASTE: A CRITIQUE

The theme of segregation is not alien to any part of the world. No matter the appellation it is branded with, its existence cannot be denied. Once, the blacks were referred to as the ‘black monkeys’. In the United States, there was a glaring distinction between the white man and the black man. In South Africa, we were plunged into the dreadful arena of the Apartheid. In Nigeria, the story is the same. One wonders, are humans not made alike? Is there any justification behind this prejudice? Why is the concept of Osu prevalent? Why is it so powerful that the elites champions or are silent to it? If it is a culture, cant there be a cultural change? Why does it still exist despite the laws made against it? This essay seeks to make clear the origin, misconceptions and criticism against the Osu caste system, using the igboland of Nigeria as a case study. The method is both historical and analytical. Keywords