Call for Papers for IJRF: Special Issue Religious Freedom in Africa

Africa is a continent abundant in diverse beliefs, often deeply and inseparably intertwined with religious and cultural identities and practices. The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights unequivocally enshrines the values of equality, human dignity, and the inviolability of human life and integrity. It specifically guarantees the "freedom of conscience, the profession and free practice of religion" (Article 8). Similarly, many national human rights protection documents across Africa echo this protection for religious freedom. However, the reality for many individuals and communities is quite different.

Across the continent, a confluence of pervasive influences significantly impacts rights and freedoms, including religious freedom. Such factors include colonialization, racial and ethno- religious tensions, incessant internal and regional armed conflicts, religious extremism, theocratic and dictatorial political regimes, and endemic corruption and impunity. Non-conformists and religious minorities frequently encounter severe persecution and marginalization as a consequence. For instance, Nigeria serves as a poignant illustration, where the number of believers killed for their faith annually surpasses the combined toll from all other regions worldwide.¹

In light of these challenges, it's crucial to uphold and reinforce respect for the fundamental right to religious freedom in African countries already offering substantial protections. Even more critical is the urgent need for concerted efforts to confront systemic religious intolerance resulting from inadequate or non-existent safeguards for religious freedom. This is essential to ensure that the right to religious freedom becomes a tangible reality for all individuals across Africa.

This underscores the significance of scholarly discourse on religious freedom and persecution within the African context. With this in mind, the International Institute for Religious Freedom: Africa (Cape Town), in collaboration with the International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF), is proud to announce a call for papers for a special themed volume with a clear focus on religious freedom in Africa. The IJRF is an interdisciplinary, international, peer-reviewed journal indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and listed on the DoHET “Approved list of South African journals”.

The editors will welcome submissions that offer meaningful scholarly contributions to insights on religious freedom and/or religious persecution in Africa, drawing from diverse subject areas including law, politics, religious studies, philosophy, education, journalism, sociology, and others. The following list is not exhaustive but serves to suggest possible avenues for investigation:

• Exploration of religious freedom across different societal domains, such as education, workplaces, public spaces, healthcare, and more.
• Recommendations for decolonisation of freedom of religion or belief in Africa.
• Examination of individual and associational religious autonomy within African contexts.
• African humanism, liberalism, transformative constitutionalism and other normative or philosophical frameworks shaping perspectives on religion and religious freedom.
• Investigation into the intersectionality of religious freedom and other human rights.
• Understandings of religious identity and its intersection with ethnicity, race, culture, gender, and other identity markers.
• Analysis of tolerance, diversity, discrimination, and their relationships with religion.
• Comparative perspectives on religious freedom advocacy and protection in Africa.
• Evaluation of religion as a catalyst for armed conflict and its role in conflict resolution within African contexts.

This themed issue is scheduled for publication in mid-2025, and authors are encouraged to declare their intention to contribute on or before 1 November 2024. Contributions should reach the guest editors, Prof. Shaun de Freitas or Prof. Helena van Coller, by the submission deadline of 31 January 2025. Contributions, expressions of interest to contribute, or related inquiries can be sent to DeFreitas@ufs.ac.za or h.vancoller@ru.ac.za. Contributions are limited to 6000 words in English, and attention must be paid to language proficiency. General instructions for authors can be found at the following link: https://ijrf.org/index.php/home/information/authors. Papers can be submitted by registering for an account here: https://ijrf.org/index.php/home/about/submissions. 

¹Open Doors International / World Watch Research, World Watch List 2024, Nigeria: Full Country Dossier March 2024. Available at: https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/nigeria/.