Personality Distortion in Osu Caste System

One of the characteristics inherent in Igbo Philosophy is the communitarian nature of Igbo worldviews. Man is a being in relation to others; he cannot exist alone but must exist with others within the community. One of the practices that threaten this relationality or communalism is Osu Caste System, which has been in existence for many decades in most Igbo communities of South Eastern Nigeria. Its origin varies because of the problems of documentation and oral traditions. The consequences of an Osu cut across all spheres of an Osu existence- socially, emotionally, politically, economically, et cetera. Osu could also be classified into: voluntary, dedicated, inherited and Osu by infection or contact. The system of Osu compared with the communitarian structure of Igbo worldview is a distortion of Igbo personhood. The search for African person, personality and personhood started as a reaction to such characterizations of an African person, ipso facto, Igbo person. Juxtaposing Osu Caste System and selfhood formation in Igbo setting, implications abound from the social, political, emotional, economical perspectives. The objective of this work is to show that any distortion of this relatedness that characterized Igbo Communalism has negative consequences on the formation of personhood. Thus, an Osu experiences a distortive personhood which is not integrated, related and presencing. The method of hermeneutics and analysis were used to interpret and analyze the concepts employed in this work. Furthermore, some experts in history and Igbo sages were interviewed. At the end, the intrinsic being of an Osu has been distorted by the tenets of Osu Caste System, thereby distancing an Osu from realizing his personhood in the community of brotherhood.