Some people wrongly believe that Macumba is any practice that involves the work of healers, or 'holy fathers', as well as charlatans and swindlers who abuse the faith to extort money by claiming to be able to 'communicate with spirits' and perform spells which will either benefit or hinder the lives of individuals.

The practice of Macumba is commonly, erroneously associated with satanic rituals and black magic - This notion and prejudice intensified in the 1920s, when Christian churches began spreading negative propaganda about Macumba's irreligiosity and profanity, and hence the term began to be used synonymously with 'voodoo'.

The exact etymology of the word Macumba is unclear, however, a number of sources claim that it is likely to have originated from the word ma'kumba in the African language of Kimbundu, spoken predominantly in Angola. Long before the word 'macumba' was associated with any religion it referred to a percussion instrument of African origin - The 'macumba' was the person who played this instrument.