'You cannot make a camel drink water': Capital, geo-history and contestations in the Zambian Copperbelt

► Copper mining boom of the 2000s has extended to the rural countryside in Zambia. ► Capital positions itself as 'responsible' and delineates local beneficiaries. ► In keeping with colonial administration these are identified as the local tribe. ► This leads to contestations with non-locals who feel discriminated against. ► The implications of this politics are explored.