JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Youth-led protests are roiling countries in disparate parts of Africa, from the Indian Ocean to the Sahara, with members of so-called Generation Z – those under 28 years old – taking to the streets in frustration over years of poor governance.
Less than a week of protests over water and electricity shortages in Madagascar, an island off Africa's East Coast, prompted President Andry Rajoelina to dissolve his government on Monday, saying on national television: "I heard the call, I felt the suffering."
But protests are ongoing, with demonstrators demanding Rajoelina—who first came to power in a 2009 coup but later stepped down and contested elections in 2018 and 2023 -- leave too.
Fanilo, a 21-year-old medical student in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo who has been taking part in the demonstrations, said the government's handling of the protests has only strengthened the youth's resolve.
"We went out that day carrying flowers, placards, singing in a completely peaceful manner…so that our voice could be heard, on the way we suffered severe repression from the security forces without any valid reason," he told NPR. NPR is only using his first name because he is afraid he'll be targeted by those security forces.
"At first, we were hit with tear gas and then suddenly we heard gunshots… we all realized they wanted to kill us. Several people died that day from gunshot wounds."
The Madagascan government has not given a death toll but the United Nations says at least 22 people were killed and accuses the security forces of a heavy-handed response.
Another protester, who did not want to be named for fear she'd be targeted, told NPR she had to go to the emergency room after being hit by a police projectile.
"I joined the protests because enough is enough. We've lost our most basic rights, corruption is everywhere, injustice is everywhere, public services are collapsing," she says. "In my house for instance we haven't had running water for six years, and yet we're still paying the bills."
Global Phenomenon
Fanilo, the medical student, says most of the protests, which are organic rather than led by a specific group, have been organized through Facebook. The protesters are using a cartoon skull wearing a straw hat as their symbol.
It's taken from the Japanese anime series "One Piece," about pirates fighting a repressive government.
The Skull and Cross Bones has also become a symbol of Gen-Z protests in Asia, like the ones that toppled Nepal's government last month.
Fanilo says Madagascans watched what happened in Nepal, where many were angered by videos of the children of politicians living in luxury, or "nepo kids."
"We are going through the same things and it gave us the courage to rise up and demonstrate," he says. "We are demanding the complete overhaul of our entire system….as young people we represent the future of our nation."
Aside from Nepal, elsewhere in Asia there have been youth-led protests in the Philippines over corruption and in Indonesia over politicians' perks. Europe isn't immune either, with young people in Serbia taking to the streets in massive demonstrations this year over a deadly railway station collapse and perceived government corruption.
Madagascar is not an isolated example in Africa, either. Across the Indian Ocean, in Kenya on Africa's east coast, massive Gen Z protests have been taking place since last year when thousands of people took to the streets to protest an unpopular finance bill. At the height of the protests the demonstrators stormed and partially burnt the parliament in Nairobi and dozens of protesters were killed.
Despite some concessions from President William Ruto, sporadic, large-scale protests have continued this year, mainly organized on social media.
There have also been protests in West Africa. In Togo in June thousands turned out to protest what they said was the president's attempt to change the constitution to stay in power indefinitely.
Protests are raging in North Africa too, where youth in more than ten cities in Morocco this week have been holding the biggest anti-government rallies in years. Wednesday night was one of the most violent yet. The demonstrators are calling for health and education reforms and blasting government spending on stadiums ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Moroccan protesters are using social media platforms like TikTok and Discord—a messaging app popular among gamers and also used during the Nepal uprising—to organize, with the group 'Gen Z 212' and other groups coordinating rallies.
"At the heart of these protests are grievances about deteriorating social-economic conditions, rising cost of living, government failures and political repression," says Mohamed Keita, an African affairs analyst.
Keita notes the majority of Africa's population is under 35 years old and millions are unemployed and frustrated with the status quo.
"These protests are a reckoning for governments that have failed to perform their basic functions, delivering decent public services, things like water, electricity, or the struggles of those governments to meet the demands for jobs for millions of young people entering the labor market each year."
Keita says while there have been uprisings in Africa before, "this generation is able to use technology and communication tools and platforms in a way that the previous generation didn't have, didn't know to."
These tech-savvy youth also "have access to information so they don't fall for government propaganda."
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