Protection of Indigenous Religious Rights in the Face of the Copper Extractive Industry: A Case Study of Zambia

This article stems from the understanding that protection of indigenous rights, which inevitably includes religious rights, finds locus in the context of human rights theory, and that it is crucially important in safeguarding cultural, political, and social identities while being free from discrimination, exploitation, and marginalisation of indigenous people where copper extraction is occurring. However, it has become evident that in the face of mining activities, including mineral exploration, religious rights of indigenous people in host communities have come under threat, and at worst, simply not factored in. Thus, this article aims at interrogating the possibility of how the indigenous rights of collective groups of people, in the copper mining areas of two provinces of Zambia, can be more realised and protected from alienation from their religious identities and practices due to displacements, environmental pollution and degradation, exploitation and deprivation of economic benefits of the mineral resources. To this end, it has employed the research employed a combination of descriptive and explanatory research designs to collect and present the qualitative data. Furthermore, it has employed thematic analysis and come to the conclusion that the protection of the rights of indigenous people in host mining communities remains a challenge in Zambia. On this understanding, the article has recommended full domestication and enforcement of the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).