Maafu Lebone

### Maafu Lebone (**House of Lebone)**

The Lebone arose from various groups across the continent, in parallel with the Siasa. There was a recognition that the failure of post-colonial Africa (if there truly was such a thing), was less to do with external interference than the moral corruption and lack of integrity of the ruling elite. ‘It was the inability of our rulers to collectively do what was right, both privately and publicly, that led to the continent’s reprehensible state prior to the Formation’ - 1st Servant Ossum Okai 2051.

The role of Maafu Lebone is to nurture knowledge and love for God, expressed primarily through the observance of the core tenets of belief in every facet of life, and sector of society; to ensure the well-being of the Azanian people through the advancement of holistic medicine; to maintain the moral fibre of the nation; to contribute towards decision making by working closely with the Emapi.

Maafu Lebone focuses on the spiritual realm, and the interaction of human beings with Mungu, the creator of all things. As with most of the Maafu, the Lebone originated from discussions between leaders of different faiths across the continent, funded by the Formation Research Institute.  The discussions sought to achieve 3 things;

1. To come to a collective understanding of the Supreme Being.
2. To make religious diversity in Azania a strength to be celebrated, not a problem to be solved, or a source of conflict and division.
3. To lay the groundwork for an agency that would propagate and sustain this vision of religious harmony.

As time passed, the outcomes of these discussions were consolidated into a school of thought, which developed into Maafu Lebone. This house prides itself in a deep understanding of all the major religions of the world. They are regarded as erudites, and even though they fiercely defend Azania’s moral culture, compassion is instilled in them from an early age. Some historians have compared them to the Jesuits, noting, in particular, their willingness to use force to halt human rights abuses and to extend Azanian influence across the globe (and beyond). As a result, members of Lebone occupy every aspect of Azanian society, including the military and police force.

However, this willingness of some members of the house to use violent means to achieve their ends has led to contention with the purists, who believe that violence should be prohibited within Lebone. Despite the very vocal purist contingent, this move has not been ratified, and such matters have been left to the conscience (as led by the Spirit) of House members.

The modern-day Maafu Lebone consists of the following characteristics.

1. It has members from across Azania from a diverse range of backgrounds
2. It accepts anyone who wants to explore spirituality as a way of life
3. It is involved in research on spiritual subjects such as;   prayer, commonalities between different religious texts and experiences,  and so on.
4. It highlights the practical outworking of the Spiritual journey in everyday life.
5. Members of Maafu Lebone are found in all walks of life, although they predominantly gravitate towards professions such as teaching, science, medicine, farming, art and religious instruction.
6. Members of Maafu tend to be some of the most intuitive individuals in Azanian society, where intuition is defined as ‘the ability to discern truth, without initial intervention of logic’. It is thought that the Lebone, with their focus on the spiritual realm, have a special ability to discern truth. are able to discern truth directly from the spiritual realm. Studies have shown that the cases of positive intuitive events are statistically significant. Thus, senior members of Maafu Lebone are present in all council meetings.
7. Maafu Lebone is not a religion;  (in the conventional sense) it is a house dedicated to the pursuit of the dedication by its members to pursue knowledge of the creator and a deep understanding of the spiritual realm as the core focus of their lives.

The Lebone focus on the love of humankind/servitude,  and they believe that life is a spiritual journey. They believe that in order to be a better functioning society Azania must put God at the centre and embrace their spiritual journey. They are not keen on medication; through meditation practices, they are able to turn inwards and heal the physical. They are very calm and collected. They are the social safety net in the Azanian community. Purple face marks are worn by Azanian who has schooled and identified with the principles of the Lebone, which include,

* •Servitude first.
* •Never separate yourself from God
* •Nurture Your Body

### Maafu Lebones fiduciary role in Azanian society

Shortly after its formation, Maafu Lebone was tasked by the Azanian ruling council to stand guard over Azania’s national morality, conscience and Spiritual unity. A subset of the Maafu are trained to observe different aspects of society to determine if there are any deviations that may lead to harm coming to Azania and Azania’s sense of unity. Their name, when translated means ‘Azania’s eyes’ and Azania’s ears.

### Initiation and training

The principle of Temari asitemiri (Amharic for learning and teaching) is applied to all Lebone Initiates. As much as a child learns from their parents they also teach their parents and society at large about their individual and unique identity. Ubuntu is as much about the collective whole as it is about the individual unit that makes up the whole.  Temari Asitemiri is a central philosophy and ideology used to nurture Lebone initiates in mental, emotional and spiritual development.

1. Learn and study their parent’s faith
2. Study how to read and speak languages (Swahili, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and one native tongue e.g. Zulu)
3. Memorize a portion of a sacred text
4. Learn to navigate and traverse the Ditorong
5. Learn meditation and centering
6. Preparation for the declaration of release at age 10
7. Parental release into the journey of exploration where the child not only explores other religions but is also free to explore other Maafu and different subjects (age 13)
8. Demonstrate preparedness for release. The child demonstrates certain abilities such as traversing the Ditorong. (Age 18)
9. Becoming or being released into a full Maafu Lebone

Education of Lebone Initiates

Like all of the Houses, Lebone education curricula start at the age of 3 years. Its focus is on enabling members to ‘see and hear through the storm’ or the noise of day-to-day life, in order to commune with Mwari/ Mungu/ God without distraction.

The outcome of training in-house Maafu are individuals who are superhumanly calm, focused, logical and spirit-led. They have mind-boggling intuition which allows them to ferret out deceit or subterfuge where none appears to exist. This has led them to become prominent lawyers, strategists, detectives and Special Forces soldiers. Interestingly, the few males admitted to the Fisi Unit are all Lebone initiates.