MAROC, MADAGASCAR, NÉPAL... QU'EST-CE QUE LE MOUVEMENT «GEN Z» À L'ORIGINE DE VASTES MANIFESTATIONS À TRAVERS LE MONDE ?
Following in the footsteps of Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Nepal, thousands of young people are rising up in Madagascar and Morocco in a movement dubbed "Gen Z." Born between 1997 and 2012, they intend to challenge the authorities and demand greater social rights.
A whiff of popular revolution? Since 2022, a series of uprisings led by Generation Z , born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, has shaken the aging and sometimes corrupt elites of several countries in the "global south ." After sweeping away the Nepalese government in early September and recently shaking the Philippines , the wave of protest has now crossed the borders of the Asian continent to reach Madagascar and Morocco . Each time, the demands are similar, with a backdrop of social anger and digital solidarity.
In 2022, young Sri Lankans launched the movement to successfully overthrow the Rajapaksa clan, which had been in power for nearly 20 years. In 2024, Bangladeshis took over, ousting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had clung to power for 15 years, in six weeks. It then took Nepalese youth just two days to bring down their government . Each time, the profile of the protesters is the same: young people, most of whom are no older than twenty, who are part of what is known as Generation Z : those children born between 1997 and 2012, hyper-connected and who grew up with the internet.
In their words, as in the pirate flag from the manga "One Piece" that serves as their rallying sign, Malagasy Gen Z protesters in Antananarivo are claiming the influence of the "wind of change," notably coming from Nepal, in the protests that are engulfing the island. While the demonstrations have left at least 22 dead , the protesters refuse to give up, and their demands now go beyond the fed-up attitude against the incessant water and electricity cuts. They are now calling for the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina , who has promised in response the appointment of a new Prime Minister, called upon to undertake reforms for the island.
And for good reason: in 2022, 75% of Madagascar's population lived below the poverty line of 4,000 ariary per person per day - less than 0.8 euro cents at the current exchange rate - according to the World Bank . Moreover, young people represent the overwhelming majority of the island's inhabitants, according to UNICEF. Some 20.9 million of the nearly 30 million Malagasy were under 30 years old in 2023. "Many of you are wondering who Generation Z is. We are just young people ready to change the history of Madagascar," explains one of the movement's young spokespersons.
The same observation is being made in Morocco. The Moroccan youth collective "GenZ 212," created with the country code "212" and which has nearly 150,000 members on Discord , called on Thursday night for the government to resign, after a sixth consecutive evening of demonstrations for better health and education services, marked on Wednesday by deadly violence . These social demonstrations follow protests that began in mid-September in several cities after the deaths at the public hospital in Agadir of eight pregnant women admitted for caesarean sections.
This Moroccan offshoot of the movement describes itself as a group of "free youth" with no political affiliation who demand "a space for discussion" on issues such as "health, education, and the fight against corruption." It claims to act out of "love for the country and the king" in a country marked by deep inequalities, both territorial and between the public and private systems. "We demand the dissolution of the current government for its failure to protect the constitutional rights of Moroccans and respond to their social demands," GenZ 212 said in a statement to Morocco's King Mohammed VI .
The kingdom, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, has embarked on vast infrastructure projects: building new stadiums , expanding the high-speed network, and modernizing several airports. "We want hospitals, not just stadiums," young people in Rabat repeated Thursday, a slogan they have been using since the beginning of their mobilization. Hundreds more marched in Casablanca and Agadir, holding the same message.
In all these countries, one emblem has emerged. The pirate flag of Luffy , the hero of One Piece, the best-selling manga in history, has established itself in just a few weeks as the symbol of this generation of young protesters. First brandished in Indonesia in August by citizens in protest against the government, this skull wearing a straw hat was taken up by protesters in Nepal in mid-September, before being displayed in Morocco and Madagascar. "Luffy is the one who liberates the people, who fights against a corrupt government," explain young protesters.
With more than a third of the world's population born between 1997 and 2012, the demographic weight of Generation Z now gives it a significant opportunity to make its voice heard. In Asia, where it represents up to 50% of the total population, attention is now turning to India. The world's most populous country also boasts the continent's largest "Gen Z," and hundreds of millions of young people are not immune to the country's mass unemployment, inequality, and widespread corruption.
Commentaires (8)
Le Gen z senegalais prefere fui le senegal en se rendant en europe en passant par le maroc.
Ces jeunes du maroc, madagascar sont manipuler par les populistes. Aujourd'hui les tunisiens regrettent d'avoir engager le printemps. ils ont chasser leur president ben ali, maintenant ils broient du noir sous un dictateur dand une tunisie dechireer
Bon dimanche à Toutes et à Tous,
Je peux vous dire qu'ici au Sénégal, rien n'a changé.
On applaudi des discours prometteurs , certes, mais moi mon quartier, ma ville , mon pays, on a toujours les mêmes réclamations.
On a pas d'eau propre dans nos villages, on a pas d'électricité, les lampes tempêtes sont toujours d'actualité dans nos villages.
On a faim.
On nous a promis de changer le pays en peu de temps car on a du pétrole et du gaz, zircon ec.
Je ne vois encore rien.
Que des discours.
J'aime mon Pays et rien n'a changé , des arrestations et des relaxes.
Je vous dis Tout Haut ce que beaucoup pensent Tout bas.
Le Pouvoir appartient au PEUPLE
Pourquoi ça n'a changer c'est parce que le grand délinquant macky sale et sont gang on pillé ce pays avant de partir
Ce n'est pas de l'information mais une incitation. Vous étes trés dangeureux Seneweb.
Ww.........pourquoi bambouli, ton gourou est super efficace, le continent nous l'envie....avec ses 4000 cadres, son porozet, ses moutons, notre existence est tellement fabuleuse !!
mais une incitation.............tu te branlais grave pendant le gatsa gatsa de notre profiteur de gamine, no stress, no souci................2050 c'est demain / un quart de siecle : je me marre !!
en effet la jeunesse sénégalaise va bientôt se réveiller, parce quil ny a pas assez d'hôpitaux dans ce pays, les médecins doivent être dans de bonne conditions pour donner les meilleurs soins possibles
Un article de cnews ? Les gens de seneweb, connaissent ils la ligne éditoriale de ce média français ? Pufffff
Quand la jeunesse marocaine se bat "pour de meilleurs services de santé et d'éducation", la jeunesse sénégalaise se bat pour avoir le droit d'occuper les places publiques et les trottoirs en y installant des commerces de camelotes importées de Chine et les transformer en dépotoirs.
la jeunesse sénégalaise vit encore dans la bulle des illusions du Grand Fétichiste qui leur a promis le Paradis Terrestre en deux mois . Mais quand elle se réveillera , elle trainera l'ILLUSIONISTE dans la rue et le " découpera en morceaux , comme SAMUEL DOE" . Patience, la marmite est entrain de bouillir
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