Photo by Lisa Haun
This one goes out to all the mamas in the entire world. Following disturbing allegations sexual abuse brought against Afrika Bambaataa by three separate men now, The Universal Zulu Nation, a grassroots organization that Bambaataa himself helped to found in the mid-seventies, has removed the hip-hop pioneer as a leader in the outfit. According to a press release from UZN, the organization announced that "it is currently under new leadership by the International and Regional U.S. Zulu Leaders," with the intention of restructuring and promising significant changes to its administration in the months ahead. Bambaataa is never named in the release, but that is hardly necessary given how highly-publicized the claims have been over the last few weeks, which has left many of us in sheer disbelief and alarm.
It's been a grueling thing to watch on unravel, but we're glad that UZN has finally spoken up and taken a definitive stance on the matter. The future is still uncertain for Bambaataa, particularly in regards to what will come of all these allegations, but we certainly hope that justice is served and swiftly, at that.
