Alice Lenshina (1920–1978) was a Zambian woman, prisoner of conscience and self-appointed "prophetess" who is noted for her part in the "Lumpa Uprising", which claimed 700 lives.
[1][2][3] Lenshina founded and led the Lumpa Church, a religious sect that embraced a mixture of Christian and animist beliefs and rituals.
Shortly after Zambia became independent under President Kenneth Kaunda, she and her followers were engaged in the so-called "Lumpa Uprising".
On regaining consciousness, she claimed that, during her coma, she met Jesus Christ, who gave her the task of spreading a special message.
At first the Lumpa Church was close to the main Black organization fighting for independence, the Northern Rhodesia African National Congress (ANC).
The conflict between UNIP and the Lumpa Church reached a climax in July to October in 1964, just before Northern Rhodesia's independence.
About a thousand people died in the clashes between Lumpa Church adherents, UNIP's members and the security forces.
She regretted the fact that the political actions weakened the religious impact of her message, which stressed the sanctity of marriage, opposed both polygamy and traditional African folk magic and promoted the upliftment of common people, especially women.
Finally she was released from detention in December 1975 but was put under house arrest in Lusaka's New Chilenje compound, Nkunda Road.
[7] Lenshina died on 7 December 1978 while under house arrest and was eventually buried at Kasomo village where the Kamutola Church stood.