Afrika Bambaataa’s Universal Zulu Nation Changes Leadership

Last month, news broke that Ronald Savage, a Bronx activist and politician and a former music industry executive, had accused Afrika Bambaataa of sexually abusing him several times in 1980, when Savage was 15 years old. The hip-hop pioneer’s lawyer, in a statement, called Savage’s claims “defamatory” and “false.” Bambaataa, in his own statement, said he wanted “to personally deny any and all allegations of any type of sexual molestation of anyone.” Since then, three more men have told the New York Daily News that Bambaataa sexually abused them in their youth. Bambaataa then reiterated, “I completely deny all type of accusations that are being put against your brother Afrika Bambaataa.” Now, the Universal Zulu Nation–the hip-hop awareness organization that Bambaataa founded in the 1970s–has announced that it is  “currently under new leadership” due to a “significant restructure.” A statement on Zulu Nation’s UK website, attributed to the international and regional U.S. Zulu Leaders, didn’t mention Bambaataa by name, but said, “As part of this restructure ALL accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation have been removed and have stepped down from their current positions.”

In addition to not naming Bambaataa specifically, the statement said the organization said it couldn’t condemn “one of our founders based on testimony through social media alone.” However, the statement added: “We also cannot dismiss the comments of parties asserting they have been harmed. We have a duty to search for truth.” The group also said it wanted to “extend great sympathy to anyone affected by such issues.”

Throughout, the statement emphasized need for change within the organization, saying, “There shall also be a new move to work towards providing support for victims of abuse, rape and molestation and working more closely on other social issues existing in communities such as drug addiction, alcoholism and mental health.” The statement also included an offer of apologies:

We are saddened by current events. Not only because of the trial by social media of which we have been subjected to as an organization, but because until now the previous leaders and founders have been ineffective at being able to respond in a way which our members and associates deserve of us. Especially when our good work spreading the Zulu message has empowered communities worldwide. We would like to offer our sincere apologies for this.

Pitchfork has reached out to representatives of the Zulu Nation and Bambaataa for comment. Read the full statement here.

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