Nwani Oluoma
Actor Joseph Okechukwu, best known for his role as Amadi in “Alice My First Lady,” is set for a major comeback in “Properties Of The Gods,” a new Nollywood epic that seeks to confront one of Igboland’s most sensitive traditions.
Four years in the making, the film is directed by two of Nollywood’s most prolific filmmakers and features an ensemble cast including Pete Edochie, the late Onyeka Onwenu, Zack Orji, Hilda Dokubo, Enyinna Nwigwe, Maria Chike Benjamin, Elvina Ibru, Obi Okoli, Jennifer Eliogu, and Ofia Mbaka.
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The movie, scheduled for nationwide theatrical release in Nigeria on September 4, 2026, with screenings planned later in Ghana, the UK and beyond, traces the historical origins of the Osu caste system.
Answering Zik’s 1956 Question
The Osu system is an ancient practice in Igboland that bars social interaction and marriage between the *“Osu”* — regarded as “outcasts” and “properties of the gods” who traditionally lived near shrines, evil forests and marketplaces — and the “Diala or Amadi”, the “freeborn” considered the superior group.
The film takes its cue from a 1956 declaration by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe on the floor of the Eastern House of Assembly.
“It is most devilish and uncharitable to brand any human being with a label of inferiority due to the accidents of history,” Azikiwe had said.
According to the producers, “Properties Of The Gods” is the first film to explicitly depict, in pictures, what Azikiwe meant by “accidents of history.” The project has also received what the team described as a “blanket endorsement of its historical accuracy” from veteran actor Pete Edochie.
A Love Story That Defies Tradition
The story centers on “Emeka”, a Diala who grew up in the United States and returns to Nigeria to manage his father’s businesses, and “Ada”, an Osu who also grew up abroad. The two meet and fall in love in the US and return home to begin marriage rites.
In Igboland, marriage proposals traditionally trigger investigations into family lineage and social status. When Emeka’s family discovers Ada is Osu, they reject the union outright.
What begins as a family disagreement escalates. Emeka attempts suicide but survives. He is later kidnapped on his father’s orders. The intention was not fatal, but he dies in the process.
In the aftermath, Ada marries *Chidi*, a Diala from a royal family and an advocate for abolishing the practice. The producers say the marriage is framed less as romance and more as an act of defiance.
History, Memory, And A Mirror
“Four years in the making, this is not entertainment for entertainment’s sake,” the production team said in a statement.
“It is history, memory, and a mirror.”
The film arrives at a time when Nollywood continues to export Nigerian stories globally, but also faces growing calls to address cultural practices at home.
As Okechukwu returns to the screen, “Properties Of The Gods” positions itself as both a historical drama and a commentary on identity, discrimination, and human rights in contemporary Nigeria.
“Properties Of The Gods” will open in cinemas across Nigeria on September 4, 2026.
