Nigerian singer, Cynthia Morgan has shared an encounter she had with veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie in 2016.
After a video of Pete exchanging pleasantries with revered Yoruba monarch, the Ooni of Ife, surfaced online and garnered reactions, Morgan took to her Instagram page to narrate an incident where she claimed Pete forced her to do something against her tradition.
The video showed Pete Edochie shaking hands with the Ooni of Ife instead of prostrating or bowing down, as is customary in Yoruba culture.
This action by Pete Edochie received criticism on social media, with many considering it disrespectful to the king.
In response, Cynthia Morgan commended Pete for respecting the Igbo tradition during the exchange but accused him of disregarding the traditions and beliefs of other tribes.
She recounted her own experience in 2016 in Okrika, Port Harcourt, where Pete, as a titled man, allegedly forced her to give him an “osiba,” which is against her Benin tradition.
“Osiba” simply means to bend slightly in front of an elder for a pat on the back. It is a sign of respect in Benin.
She said that as a Benin lady, it is considered taboo for her to give a titled Igbo man like Pete Edochie an osiba, but she claimed that he made her do it against her will, thereby disrespecting the Benin tradition.
Cynthia Morgan noted that she hopes that Pete Edochie would learn to respect other people’s traditions as he had respected his own.
“I like the fact that Pete Edochie’s tradition is being respected today, and I hope he learns to respect other peoples’ traditions too moving forward. For example, that Benin women cannot give a common or titled Igbo man an ‘osiba’ for no just reason. Unlike when he forced me to give him an ‘osiba’ in 2016 in Okrika precisely. Cheers,” she wrote.
What is osiba kwa?