Encounter Atlas
Popobawa is a spirit from Zanzibar whose Swahili name means 'bat wing', after the shadow it is said to cast. It is a shapeshifter that can appear as a man or an animal, though it is often pictured as a small, one-eyed creature with bat wings. It visits homes at night, attacks sleepers, and brings a sulfur smell.
Reports began on Pemba around 1965 and returned in waves. In 1995 a major panic spread across Zanzibar and the coast to Dar es Salaam, with families sleeping outdoors around fires to avoid it. Shorter outbreaks followed in 2000 and 2007.
Researchers describe the waves as social panics tied to sleep paralysis, rumour and times of political tension.
What witnesses report
- Night attacks on sleepers
- A shadow like bat wings
- A sulfur smell
- Families sleeping outside in groups
Famous cases
- 1965First reports on Pemba
Pemba, Zanzibar - 1995Great panic
Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam - 2007Renewed outbreak
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Seen the Popobawa?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
