User:Panyd/Popobawa

Best way is usually to just go source by source

Popobawa, also Popo Bawa, is the name of a demon or shetani said to paralyze and then sexually assault its victims.

Origin and history
The first recorded sighting of the Popobawa coincided with the Zanzibar Revolution, and the creature was said to be connected to an arab man murdered during the uprising.

Description and behaviour
As with many folklorish creatures, descriptions of the Popobawa vary. The demon is universally described as having an abnormally large penis, and possessing the ability to shape-shift. As the creature's name, from Swahili popo, "bat", and bawa, "wing", suggests (GET A DEFINITE SOURCE ON THE NAME PLEASE) - many legends say the demon travels in the form of a bat, and with one eye. However, other popular depictions of the Popobawa depict it as a tall human man. Still others give Popobawa claws.

Reports about the Popobawa's behaviour depend largely on where it is sighted. Reports of attacks in the 1960s described the demon paralyzing and then committing sodomy on both sexes in Pemba Island and Unguja - but during the 1995 panic, attacks focused solely on sodomy were only found in the latter. In Pemba, the choice of victims and form of sexual assault had become more diverse.

It is believed that sleeping outdoors will protect a person, as the Popobawa only strikes indoors.

News of alleged Popobawa attacks often spreads quickly, as the demon is said to tell it's victims: "[T]ell ten people what I have done to you or I will make you my wife."

Meaning of the name
[Don't reference but it's 'wing bat' cause why not]

Popobawa in Modern Times
Sightings and modern retellings of the Popobawa myth are closely tied to Zanzibar politics. After 1972, the demon was actually the "vengeful spirit" of the recently assassinated President Abeid Karume. Conspiracy theories have also tied the creature to the CCM party, claiming that they summoned it for a variety of reasons.

1995 Outbreak
In 1995, hysteria surrounding the Popobawa took hold in Stone Town. Over half the town's inhabitants took to sleeping outside to protect themselves from the creature.

Natural causes
It has been suggested that visitations from the Popobawa are caused by ingesting improperly prepared cassava. The skin contains cyanide, which could result in the temporary paralysis reported by victims.

In popular culture
In 2009 a horror film called Popobawa was made by Tanzanian filmmaker Haji Delunga, who claimed it was based on a true story.