How the Digital Age Is Connecting the Youth Through Protest
On September 25, 2025, during a humid afternoon, the air in Antananarivo was thick and heavy. Hundreds of young people were pressed shoulder to shoulder as their chants echoed through the city streets. Flags bearing a motif from the anime One Piece, including a straw hat adapted from local Malagasy design, hung from their shoulders. Phones filled the air, each one held high with a collective sense of responsibility. Through their eyes, every moment was documented and broadcast to the world. Chanting and smoke filled the air as Madagascar’s capital became the center of Gen Z’s latest wave of protest. The demonstrations erupted after the military seized power from the civilian government. For the first time, the first images of a coup did not come from the news but from citizens themselves. Teenagers, not journalists, broke the story. Within minutes, videos spread across francophone Africa, showing the event as it unfolded. Strangers stitched clips together into a viral montage th...