Shetani

1 Etymology
A Swahili word used in various East African nations to re-
fer to mostly malevolent native pre-Islamic spirits, shetani
(pl. mashetani), is a borrowing from the Arabic, Shaitan,
meaning devil, or, more specifically, adversary. The
word is cognate with the English word Satan which comes
ultimately from the same Semitic root.[3]

2 Nature and types

There are many types of shetani, with various at-
tributes, and they take on many forms; abstract, animal,
anthropomorphic and combinations thereof. Whether
one-legged or one-armed, cyclopic or with exagger-
ated orifices and appendages, the essential nature of the
shetani is a distorted, asymmetrical human figure, a com-
mon world archetype,[4] A typical carving, done in ebony
or African blackwood, might have “one eye, a toothless,
open mouth and a body which was bent over backwards
with its head facing the wrong way.”[5]
There are various classes of shetani. Examples include
A Makonde elephant shetani the dangerous ukunduka, which feed through sexual in-
tercourse, and the chameleon shetani, a carnivore with
exaggerated habits of the lizard, or the harmless medici-
nal shuluwele which gathers herbs for sorcerers.[6]
Shetani (the word is both singular and plural in English, Some spirits, like the “exceptionally evil”[7] Popo Bawa
the plural in Swahili is mashetani) are spirits of East ('bat-wing'), associated with “dirt and violent sodomy"
African mythology and popular belief. Mostly malev- and the smell of burnt sulphur,[8] are individuals with
olent, and found in many different forms and different horrifying living reputations.[9] According to the BBC in
types with different powers, shetani are a popular subject 2001, “Many Zanzibaris are now refusing to sleep in their
of carved artwork, especially by the Makonde people of houses as they believe it only preys on people in the com-
Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Physically, shetani fort of their own beds. . . . [P]eople believe that it
of various types appear as distorted human and animal sodomises its victims, most of whom are men.”[10]
figures.
There is a contemporary East African shetani cult, and
reports of sightings of individual shetani are cyclical, with 3 Shetani cult
Popo Bawa panics having occurred in 1995 in Zanzibar[1]
and 2007 in Dar es Salaam.[2] Belief in shetani is a contemporary continuation of pre-
The influential Makonde artist George Lilanga (1934– Islamic belief. In addition to the Makonde who carry on
2005) gained world renown with his shetani sculptures a tradition of sculpture, other peoples, such as the Segeju
and paintings. Samaki Likankoa,master carver in Tanza- of Tanzania, who recognize eight or ten tribes of spirits,
nia was the foremost originator of the shetani style in early with each individual having its own name and personality,
[11]
1950s. Mohamed Peera, an Indian art curator was a ma- carry on belief in shetani possession and exorcism.
jor patron and influence to many makonde carvers such as According to the Zanzibar Bradt Travel Guide, “There is
Samaki, and played a decisive role in the abstract shetani no real way, say the locals, of protecting yourself from
makonde movement from the early 1950s to 1970s. the possibility of being haunted or attacked by a shetani.

1
2 6 REFERENCES

The best thing is simply to keep out of their way and try to tion of Lilanga’s work, and his work forms the backbone
make sure they keep out of yours – for example by hang- of their collection.
ing a piece of paper, inscribed with special Arabic verses,
from the ceiling of the house. Almost every home or shop
in Zanzibar has one of these brown, mottled scraps, at- 4.2 Into the Out Of
tached to a roof beam by a piece of cotton.”[12]
Main article: Into the Out Of

4 Art and popular culture In Alan Dean Foster's 1986 horror/fantasy novel, Into the
Out Of, elders of the Maasai people become aware that
from the south of them in the Ruaha wilderness of Tan-
The depiction of shetani continues in the flourishing
zania a global crisis is approaching. Malevolent shetani,
Makonde sculpture trade, varying from “airport art”
which originate from a dimensional portal known to the
knockoffs[13] to fine art found in such venues as the Ham-
Maasai as the “Out Of” (because all things, such as hu-
burg Mawingu Collection.[14]
mans, animals and plants, originally came “out of” it), are
finding their way into this world. In addition to general
sabotage, the shetani are fomenting trouble between the
4.1 George Lilanga superpowers, intent on inciting war. If not prevented, the
barriers between the two dimensions will be permanently
Main article: George Lilanga breached and uncountable hordes of shetani will overrun
George Lilanga (1934–2005) was a Tanzanian sculp- the world, enslaving the few humans they do not extermi-
nate.

5 See also
• Makonde art
• Culture of Mozambique
• African art

George Lilanga with We banana anangalia ulimi kiangu un-
awasha (“Banana look to me, I have the mouth-watering”)
tor and artist of the Makonde tribe who lived in Dar es
Salaam. His work was exhibited in international exposi-
tions of African contemporaries including Africa Remix
in Düsseldorf, Paris, London and Tokyo.
In the 1970s, Lilanga participated in a collective exhi-
bition of African artists in Washington D.C. Of the 280
works presented, about 100 were by Lilanga. It was on
this occasion that he was compared with Jean Dubuffet.
Lilanga was considered to have had an influence on the
young American graffiti artists; Keith Haring said in an
interview that he had been influenced by Lilanga’s art.
Lilanga began a long series of exhibitions. His works
had increasing success in Africa, Europe, the US, India
and Japan. In the 1980s, he dedicated himself almost ex-
clusively to painting. His shetani were represented two-
dimensionally on Masonite and, later, on Faesite.
The Hamburg Mawingu Collection posthumously pub-
lished a systematically and thematically complete collec-
6 References
[1] “Today the cult of the shetani (meaning a spirit or spir-
its, the word is singular or plural) is still going strong in
Zanzibar and Pemba – a dark undercurrent unseen and un-
known by the majority of visitors.” Zanzibar: The Bradt
Travel Guide, fifth edition, 2006 “The Shetani Of Zanz-
ibar” Gemma Pitcher http://www.zanzibar-travel-guide.
com/bradt_guide.asp?bradt=1847
[2] “Sex attacks blamed on bat demon”. BBC News. 2007-
02-21. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
[3] A host of devils: the history and context of the making of
Makonde spirit sculpture, Zachary Kingdon, p 118.
[4] A host of devils: the history and context of the making of
Makonde spirit sculpture, Zachary Kingdon, p 132.
[5] A host of devils: the history and context of the making of
Makonde spirit sculpture, Zachary Kingdon, p 133.
[6] Indian Ocean newsletter, volumes 5-8, University of West-
ern Australia, Centre for South and Southeast Asian Stud-
ies, p. 4.
[7] http://everything2.com/title/Popo+Bawa
[8] Wind, Life, Health: Anthropological and Historical Per-
spectives, Elisabeth Hsu, Chris Low, p. 44.
 3

[9] Zanzibar, Chris McIntyre, Susan McIntyre, p. 39.

[10] “Sex-mad 'ghost' scares Zanzibaris”, Ally Saleh, Thurs-

day, 19 July 2001, 12:32 GMT 13:32 UK, http://news.
bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1446733.stm

[11] Spirit Mediumship and Society in Africa, John Beattie,

John Middleton, p. 171.

[12] Zanzibar: The Bradt Travel Guide, fifth edition, 2006

“The Shetani Of Zanzibar” Gemma Pitcher http://www.
zanzibar-travel-guide.com/bradt_guide.asp?bradt=1847

[13] “The Authenticity of Makonde Art: A Collector Replies”,

Leon V. Hirsch, African Arts, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Jan., 1993),
p. 10 http://www.jstor.org/pss/3337104

[14] http://www.makonde.com/

7 External links
• Hamburg Mawingu Collection
• HMC: George Lilanga Collection

• Private collection of Lilanga sculptures and paint-

ings

• George Lilanga online internet webshop

4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text
• Shetani Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shetani?oldid=595174151 Contributors: BorgQueen, Nick Number, ImageRemovalBot,
Ironholds, Urbourbo, John of Reading, Medeis and Anonymous: 2

8.2 Images
• File:George_Lilanga_insieme_all'opera_Banana_guarda_ho_l'acquolina_in_bocca.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/6/61/George_Lilanga_insieme_all%27opera_Banana_guarda_ho_l%27acquolina_in_bocca.jpg License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Foto ed opera di proprietà Cesare Pippi Original artist: Cesare Pippi
• File:Makonde_elephant.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Makonde_elephant.jpg License: Public do-
main Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

8.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0