And finally… crotchety

At least 10 people have been detained in connection with the rumours sweeping Zanzibar’s Mjini Magharibi region, according to Tanzanian news website The Citizen.

In a number of cases, individuals who were accused of causing a person’s genitals to disappear were immediately set upon by violent mobs.

In one case, a local businessman’s home was surrounded by men on motorbikes who accused him of stealing someone’s genitals.

“When he asked what the problem was, they told him he had taken someone’s genitals and must return them,” regional police commander Richard Mchonvu said.

“He locked himself inside, but they broke in, assaulted him, stole a television set and damaged property.”

All of the individuals who claimed their genitals had disappeared were examined by police, who found that none had experienced physical changes.

They are now facing criminal charges including giving false information, breach of peace and theft.

Frank Bures, author of The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death, and the Search for the Meaning of the World’s Strangest Syndromes, attributes “penis panics” in Africa to psychiatric illness.

In a blog post, he points out: “Authorities are calling for a stop to the ‘hoax’, but it’s not a hoax if you truly believe your penis is missing. The power of stories and culture here is at its height.”