#31DaysofMonsters DAY 29: Popobawa

Popobawa, also Popo Bawa, is the name of an evil spirit, or shetani, which is believed by residents to have first appeared on the Tanzanian island of Pemba. Popobawa is a Swahili name which translates literally as "bat-wing”. Popobawa is a shapeshifter and described as taking different forms, not just that of a bat as its name implies. It can take either human or animal form, and metamorphose from one into the other. Popobawa typically visits homesteads at night, but can also be seen in the daytime. Popobawa attacks men, women and children, and may attack all of the members of a household. Its nocturnal attacks can comprise simple physical assault and/or poltergeist-like phenomena.