Key Points

- A Shetani whose name translates to "bat-wing" 

- Was the focus of a 1995 mass hysteria outbreak from Pemba to Unguja

Brief Bio

Popobawa is a malevolent, shapeshifting spirit or demon in Swahili folklore, primarily associated with the Tanzanian island of Pemba and Zanzibar. It is believed to terrorize people, particularly at night, by inflicting physical and sexual assaults. The creature is described as a muscular, one-eyed, bat-winged monster, though it can also appear as a human or even a cloud of smoke. 

He was the focus of a major outbreak of mass hysteria or panic which spread from Pemba to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, and across to Dar es Salaam and other urban centres on the East African coast.