WEB_AP25287388542177 Copyright 2025 Associated Press. Demonstrators shout during a protest calling for the resignation of President Andriy Rajoelina, Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Elite military forces seized power in Madagascar last week after youth-led protests forced the president to flee.
so what? Madagascar is not the only country reeling from anxiety. A wave of protests is spreading around the world, with young people from Peru to Nepal taking to the streets to vent their anger at entrenched elites and a lack of opportunity. These movements are mainly
Gen Z is leading the way. and
Organized on social media.
fed up. Local grievances shape these protests. Kenyan youth are angry about police violence and tax increases. Spending on soccer stadiums for the 2030 World Cup has sparked anger among Moroccans, with calls for the Moroccan government to prioritize crumbling hospitals. Madagascar’s chronic water shortages helped fuel the rebellion.
United. But these movements also have common themes. Protesters have complained of endemic corruption, widening inequality and lack of employment.
It’s very online. Generation Z was born between 1997 and 2012 and is the first generation to grow up as digital natives who have never known life without the internet. In Morocco and Nepal, for example, protests have been organized on Discord, a chat app primarily used by gamers.
flaunt it. At the same time, elites who previously enjoyed luxurious lifestyles in private are now flaunting it on social media. In Kenya, a member of parliament is uploading a TikTok video of his luxury car collection, while in Nepal, the hashtag “nepobaby” has defined protests after the son of an official posted a photo of himself next to a Christmas tree made of Gucci and Louis Vuitton gift boxes.
A frustrated desire. Older members of Generation Z came of age during a time of pandemic lockdowns, slowing economic growth, high inflation, and fiscal austerity. And even though many graduates are unable to enter the profession, they are much more likely to have attended college than their parents or grandparents.
This is a good example. More than a third of Africans between the ages of 15 and 35 are unemployed. The remaining third have no job security, with only one in six receiving a stable monthly salary. Most new jobs on the continent are in the informal sector. This entrenches poverty and inhibits social mobility.
result. Africa is at the forefront of a new era of rebellion. More than 11,000 protests occurred across the continent last year, up from just 317 in 2004, according to conflict monitoring group Accred.
change. Gen Z protesters aren’t just shouting into the air. In the past three years, they have overthrown the governments of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Madagascar is the newest.
Double-edged. The online nature of these movements is both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. They are loosely organized and have no leaders who can be co-opted or imprisoned. Social media can also help focus anger, unite strangers in a common cause, and circumvent authorities seeking to control the flow of information.
Weakness. However, these movements often fail to bring about lasting change. Part of the reason is that they have a hard time articulating a coherent vision for the future and making collective decisions. Successful revolutions of the past century, such as those in Russia and Ethiopia, were led by tightly controlled organizations that excluded competitors.
Lessons from history. The Egyptian revolution of 2011-2013 is instructive. It was one of the first to address the widespread use of social media. However, it was taken over by the military, who seized power and established a dictatorship. Madagascar could follow this path. One of those colonels was sworn in as president Friday after taking control of the state.
But even if it fails, Gen Z protests will continue to be a major global trend. Young people’s dissatisfaction with poverty, corruption, and poor public services persists.
Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo
