Youth-led Protests in Multiple African Countries

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0:11On the Sunday Story, what this vintage film format can help us understand about Hollywood's past and even its future. Listen now on the NPR app to the Sunday Story from the Up First podcast. Today on State of the World, youth-led protests in multiple African countries. You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories, up close where they're happening. I'm Greg Dixon. Morocco and Madagascar are on opposite sides of Africa, some 5 ,000 miles apart. But both countries are dealing with massive protests over the last week, led by Gen Z youth. They're protesting poor governance, echoing similar movements in Asia.

0:59And they continue to demand change despite their government's use of force against them. And just a warning, we're going to hear some of that force in the form of gunshots. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu tells us what precipitated these protest movements. An eruption of anger and defiance in Madagascar. Mounting frustration at chronic electricity cuts and water shortages in one of the world's poorest countries sparked the largest protest in more than 15 years. The movement has been nicknamed Leo de Lestage, meaning fed up with electricity cuts. Thousands of Gen Z youth, those 28 and under, have taken to the streets in several cities with chants of youth rise up.

1:47The protests are organised by groups dominated by Gen Z users on platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Discord, a messaging app popular with gamers. More than 20 people have been killed, according to the UN, and over 100 injured amid a brutal response by security forces. But with each day, the defiance continues, despite the president's intervention.

2:18Andriy Radjelina announced he had dissolved the government, but it wasn't enough. Now the protesters are calling for his resignation. We've lost our most basic rights. Corruption is everywhere. Injustice is everywhere. A protester who withheld her name for fear of being targeted by the government told NPR she and many others were exhausted by chronic water and power cuts. In my house, we haven't had running water for six years, and yet we are still paying the bills. She said protesters were determined that the demonstrations be peaceful, but then police fired tear gas. Actually, I was struck by a projectile and ended up in the emergency room.

3:00Others were shot with live rounds and killed. The government has announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew, but thousands have defied it. It's hard to pressure! And the eruption of youth-led anger in Madagascar is not happening in isolation. Hundreds have taken to the streets across Morocco, organised by the Gen Z 212 protest movement, which has demanded more health and education funding.

3:29Demonstrators chanted, we want education and hospitals, not stadiums. While billions of dollars have gone into building sports arenas for the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament and the World Cup in 2030, Morocco spends less than 6 % of its budget on healthcare, a fraction of the 25 % that the United Nations recommends. These protests are a reckoning for governments which have failed to perform their basic functions. Mohamed Keita is a senior policy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, a pro-democracy organisation based in New York. He said there was a common thread in Gen Z-led protests in African countries like Kenya, Angola and Togo, which followed similar protests in Asia.

4:12Youth are the majority of the population and they are frustrated with the status quo. 60 % of Africa's population is between 15 and 35 years old and 123 million of these young people are unemployed.

4:33Both Morocco and Madagascar have been stunned by the eruption of anger from a young generation unwilling to be ignored. And for now, they're unable to stop it. Emmanuel Atamotou, NPR News, Lagos.

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