Tanzania, Zanzibar (folk tale)

The Popobawa Panic

Folklore — not a documented case

According to this tale, which spread across Zanzibar in the 1990s, a bat-winged being visits villages at night. As a mass narrative wave linked to the social atmosphere of its time, it has also become a subject of academic study.

This tale, which emerged on the Zanzibar archipelago of Tanzania in 1995, quickly turned into a mass social panic.

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The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

From the same region

Tsavo, Kenya (historical event and legend)The Ghost Lions of Tsavo›Kariba, Zimbabwe-Zambia border (folk belief)Nyami Nyami: River God of the Zambezi›Likouala region, Republic of the Congo (cryptozoological legend)Mokele-mbembe›Al-Mahra, Yemen (folk tale)The Well of Barhout›Wadi al-Baida, Medina, Saudi Arabia (folk tale)The Valley of the Jinn›Richtersveld, South Africa (folk tale)Grootslang: The Great Snake›