"We have a duty to change everything. We expect the impeachment and resignation of the president", Herizo Adriamanantena, spokesperson for the Gen Z group in Madagascar, told DW. The initial reason for the demonstrations there were power outages and a shortage of drinking water.
The global protest wave started by Generation Z has also reached Madagascar. For the demonstrators, "changing everything" means putting an end to mismanagement and corruption. At least 22 people have been killed and 100 others injured during the protests in the past few days, according to the UN.
But threats and pressure will not stop us, Adriamanantena points out. Young people are still the majority - more than half of Madagascar's 32 million inhabitants are under the age of 30. And they have a vivid example in front of them - Nepal.
Nepal: Generation Z brought down the government
The Nepalese government blocked 26 social networks, including Facebook and TikTok, allegedly in the name of national security. Generation Z protested, tens of thousands took to the streets.
Under the hashtag #NepoBabies (a term for people who rise thanks to their influential parents), they exposed corruption and cronyism. Despite dozens of deaths, they managed not only to overthrow the prime minister, but also to install Sushila Karki, a former chief justice of Nepal's Supreme Court and anti-corruption activist, as his successor.
"We are expecting a consistent political awakening led by Generation Z", Rajat Das Shrestha, one of the leading figures in the Generation Z movement in Nepal, told DW. "When the youth protest, they can bring down governments." What has happened in recent weeks in the country of 30 million people between China and India is a model for many Generation Z protest movements around the world.
If the authorities "continue to ignore the dreams and frustrations of young people, similar events will happen in many other countries in the region," says Rajat Das Shrestha. As in Indonesia and the Philippines, where angry young people also took to the streets to protest corruption and inequality.
Serbia: the student protest
Generation Z is also protesting in Europe. "The cup has run out", Elena Popadić, one of the spokespeople for the protest movement in Serbia, told DW. The medical student is referring to the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad train station on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people. The probable cause of the tragedy: shoddy construction and corruption.
Since then, for almost a year, Generation Z has blocked the country - with occupied universities, demonstrations, closed intersections and attacks on the office of President Aleksandar Vučić's ruling party. The protests have long been primarily directed against the Serbian president's authoritarian government.
”Students are not afraid and are passing on their courage to the entire population,” former police chief Bogolyub Zivkovic told DW. He was forced into early retirement by Vucic after more than 30 years of service because his son, a law student, also took part in the demonstrations and called for an end to corruption.
Morocco, Peru, Paraguay - Generation Z protests continue
The youth movement in Morocco, which was previously anonymous, is also no longer afraid. The ongoing problem of corruption has brought young people to the streets. But they are also against the construction of stadiums for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will host together with Spain and Portugal. The young people's demands are that the money be invested in the construction of new hospitals instead of stadiums. The name of the protesters - "Gen Z 212" comes from the Moroccan telephone code - 212. Calls for the demonstrations are spread through social networks such as TikTok, Instagram and the Discord platform.
In both Paraguay and Peru, young people are tired of the shadow economy and no longer want to listen to the empty promises of politicians. "We are the 99.9 percent and we don't want corruption", was the slogan of the protests in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, last weekend. Previously, Generation Z held loud drum-beating protests in Lima, protesting corruption, the unpopular president Dina Boluarte, and the planned pension reform.
Very common in Peru, as well as in all Generation Z demonstrations around the world, are the pirate flag and the straw hat from the cult anime "One Piece". The main character in it fights for freedom and justice. One of his most famous quotes is: "I want to create a world where all my friends can eat as much as they want!".