30 Days of Iconic Zimbabwean Jazz: Tsubvubone by Hope Masike
30 Days of Iconic Zimbabwean Jazz: Tsubvubone by Hope Masike
Award-winning Zimbabwean mbira and percussion player, singer, dancer and activist Ruvimbo Hope Masike’s music is a fusion of jazz, blues, samba and reggae. She is known as “The Princess of Mbira” and her music has its roots both in traditional and modern African culture.
Her use of traditional acoustic instruments draws upon the musical legacy of pioneering Zimbabwe female musicians such as…
With unknown, possibly ancient origins, it is impossible to tell what the true motives are behind this secretive group. Generally considered to be a ‘club’ for those pursuing the perfect murder, they also provide services to those with supernatural or paranatural abilities. They are ruled by a strict internal government which dictates every small aspect of the society, even to what actions can be taken during murder. The highest leaders are the Abal, who govern the more local ‘Alphas’ around the world. Only recently have the Alphas of Swans begun friendly relationships with the Egland Family, as demonstrated by the current Alpha of Lath Billie Jean passing several members over the Egland Anodyne Houses. The Society of Swans also maintain their own ‘safe houses’, large homes (often isolated) that are run by hosts. Usually, these ‘Hosts’ are older members from the society that have proved their loyalty and are no longer in active practice of murder. Their responsibilities lie in communicating local concerns to the area Alpha, as well as dictating where members in need of safe houses will go. Most notably Lemon stayed with the host Cesare Esben at Amanu House, located in Upper Lath. Below the hosts in rank are the Masters, those who have become the best in their respective schools and taken on roles like teachers. They help to dictate the others in their schools, enforce rules, and work directly with hosts to maintain members in trouble.
Contents
‘Swans’ is not the true name of this club. Members use the word ‘Swans’ to describe their personal police force, and thus became the vague designation given to the entire social order.
Rank Structure
Alpha – the head of the organization who has final judgement call on any and all club operations. Usually only known by regional alphas and sometimes betas, the individual is called ‘Inyoni’ by others.
Regional Alpha – highest ranking member in a specific geographical area. Areas are determined by a per-capita basis, not by land mass. For the most part they govern themselves and are simply known as Alpha.
Beta – a high ranking member with a more secretarial role than active role. The ‘left hand’ of the regional alpha.
Masters – members who have achieved accolades in their chosen fields in the pursuit of the ultimate goal.
Swans – the police force of the society in charge of ensuring rules are being enforced and seeking out (and occasionally punishing) whitelist criminals. The ‘right hand’ of the regional alpha. Because they can openly wound whitelist members, Swans have more public reputation than any other club member. The name ‘Swans’, said with contempt, respect, or fear, became the moniker for the entire society.
Hosts – Generally retired Alphas, Swans, or Masters. They oversee new blood or hot water members in safe houses.
Apprentice – usually refers to the favorite disciples of an alpha, though it may also refer to those in the process of becoming masters.
Student – one who has committed themselves to the study of the ‘ultimate goal’ whether or not they reside within a particular school.
Member – one who is a socially active member of the society, though takes no steps toward the ‘ultimate goal’.
Participant – one who is born into the club or informally recognized as a friend or confidant. No authority and subject to all rules and regulations.
Whitelist – those who have multiple infractions against the club. They are hunted down and punished. There is only one level of ‘wrong do-er’, and whitelisted criminals are captured and punished by a team of their peers along with a regional alpha.
Community and Sociality
If you were to ask a member of the society what their ultimate goal is and they trusted you, they might respond with ‘to reach Inyoni’. This vague response is likely meant to reveal nothing to an outsider, making it easy for Swans to immediately recognize on of their own. Speculation on who or what Inyoni could be is varied; some claim it is a faith-based statement regarding a sort of nirvana or heaven, others believe it to be a traditional caste system of power. Regardless, all members of the society except whitelist members enjoy some level of community benefits.
Intimacy is practiced freely and in many forms. While the group looks down on sexually-driven violence as a weakness unfit for their society, there is a hierarchy that informs inter-club relationships. Rank within the society determines who any member can propose; only the current rank and below is open to intimate relationships with that particular member. Relationships with whitelisted members are seen as treacherous, and Beta members are unlikely to form any relationship. Alphas enjoy the ability to choose whomever they wish with one notable exception. Pair Bonds occur when members of the same rank become closely linked through society related turbulence. Spending time incarcerated as pawns together or running the same failed project are the two most common ways of pair bonding. Some strong bonds are also created simply through working well together. While the relationship is not always a sexual one, a pair bonded couple is off-limits to propositions from other members.
Schools
Blood-Letting School – consuming parts of your victims, body or blood
Converts – a small off-shoot of the bloodletting school. Started by Murray Wang, members of this elite school seem to gain prolonged life through consuming humans. Notable members; Murray Wang, Cesare Esben
Stalker School – systematically destroying a single person’s life by killing their family and friends before cat-and-mousing them until they are caught and killed
Mega School – destroying as much as possible, not just people but structures and land too
Horde – a large and welcoming group where newer members often go to hone their talents. Working in large groups, members use the same methods and disguises to take out large populations, destroying the area in the process.
Visual School – kills using extreme techniques to achieve graphic surrealism, often a slow process
Splatter – a small, new school dedicated the extreme violence and gore. It involves rendering your victims into the blood and meat they are.
Pitch – an elite group within the visual school, those who are invited to join have shown mastery over a slow, systematic stalking and killing. Often, they are so concentrated on small items they have only one victim, but they consider themselves to be the closest to ‘perfect murder’, and many others respect them.
Zealot School – kills in the name of a theory or dogma that guides the killer to each victim and dictates the proper course of action
Primeval School – kills in an animalistic way and for animalistic reasons; protecting self, young, territory, for resources or mates, or because of insanity/bloodlust
Die-Laughing School – kills in comical ways, or attempts to make light of their victims while they murder them
Trash – Often older members or legacies, those in the Trash school are more interesting in laughter and terror than murder, and sometimes (though not often) do not even kill their victims. Generally, they have ‘leftovers’ that need to be cleaned up, and many disrespect them.
Pristine School – a lesser-known school that attempts to kill with minimal bloodshed, preferring psychological torture, etc., to physical violence.
Egland Family
a family who employs witches to find Anodynes, who they use to create safe houses for other supernaturals.
The Conservatory
The Ohmo Conservatory of Music (OCoM) has turned out several famed musicians including the famous violinist Alde Alsanov – the current OCoM head.
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