Gen Z arise: Tanzanian police imposed a nationwide curfew after youth protested in major cities ahead of the elections. Photo: Wainaina Mburu
In some parts of the global South, especially in Africa, protests led primarily by Generation Z have brought about government changes in Madagascar and upended the establishment in Kenya.
Unlike traditional political activism, the youth prefer to describe their movements as leaderless and digital, as they defy the old elites who have led to frustration due to failed economies and systemic decay.
In Kenya last year, Gen Z opposed a proposed Finance Bill that sought to introduce more taxes. President William Ruto was forced to shelve it.
The death of blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang, in police custody, fuelled anger over police accountability. They were back on the streets again.
Hanifa “Farsafi” Adan, a prominent blogger and activist at the forefront of the 2024 riots, told the Mail & Guardian that, like many Kenyan youth, she experienced inequality and injustice from an early age.
“Our hopes and dreams were taken away by the traditional political establishment. So, when you see the youth taking to the streets and braving bullets and police brutality, it’s because they know that when they go back home, they are going back to a legacy of suffering and poverty. They might as well grab their future by their hands and push for change,” she said.
In Madagascar, a youth-led movement resulted in the ousting of President Andry Rajoelina. They called for an end to government corruption, better living standards and Rajoelina’s resignation.
They had an unlikely supporter — an elite military unit called CAPSAT — that led to a military coup by Colonel Michael Randrianirina.
Deprose Muchena, a human rights expert, told the M&G that the military factor in Madagascar could be a serious problem in the future.
“While the youth are fighting for their future, there are opportunistic moments for groups such as the military to commercialise people’s pain by presenting themselves as an alternative,” he said.
“But we have seen it elsewhere; they are not an alternative because they represent the same system that they have replaced. Under the military, I don’t see democracy continuing as an enterprise to rebuild, rethinking the state and economy.”
Samson Itodo, the director of Yiaga Africa and the conveners of the South-South Social Movements Convergence, said the failure of democracy to deliver desired outcomes promotes dictatorships and military governments whose honeymoon with the masses is always short-lived.
He warned that the “decimation” that engulfed Tanzania after the highly contested victory of President Samia Suluhu Hassan might give Gen Z the courage to take on the government.
Despite internet shutdowns after the elections, Gen Z downloaded Virtual Private Networks to bypass the shutdown.
“Already, economies around Tanzania and the country itself are feeling the effects of instability this week alone. These are the things that encourage the Gen Zs to push governments to their knees if they can,” said Itodo.
On Wednesday, fuel supply to Malawi was cut off, with reports of more than 120 fuel tankers blocked from crossing the Tanzanian border and of delays in clearing about 48 million litres of fuel destined for Malawi.
Malawi’s energy regulator, in a statement, said it would move on to source fuel from Zimbabwe and Mozambique until Tanzania stabilises.
Hassan has since been sworn in for the second time, having inherited the late President John Magafuli’s last term.
A handful of regional leaders attended the ceremony held at a military parade ground in the capital, Dodoma. It was closed to the public due to security concerns and broadcast live by state media.
Returning from the ceremony, Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said: “The situation that has happened in Tanzania is quite disturbing, and it’s something that has got to be avoided at all costs.”