Across Morocco, Kenya, and Madagascar, youth-led movements are challenging political power through decentralised leadership, street mobilisation, and cross-border solidarity. While digital tools help coordinate action, the protests reflect deeper frustrations over inequality, corruption, and political exclusion.
From the bustling avenues of Rabat to the busy squares of Nairobi and the sun-baked streets of Antananarivo, Africa’s youth are making their voices impossible to ignore. In Morocco, civic engagement activist Madiha El Mnasfi watched as young people mobilised for social change, coordinating through social media to demand greater transparency, better services, and opportunities for their generation. ‘Gen Z took to the streets to express frustration with inequalities and political marginalisation’, she explains. ‘We were shaping the protests with creativity and inclusivity, while older generations offered support without dominating.’
In Kenya, the protests had a sharper edge. The 2024 Finance Bill, which proposed new taxes that many feared would worsen the cost-of-living crisis, sparked demonstrations that grew from small, peaceful gatherings into mass action after a protester was killed. Lawrence Kariuki Gichure, a climate justice advocate who participated on the ground, recalls the moment when thousands of young people surged to Nairobi’s Parliament. ‘The youth were united. The slogan was leaderless and tribeless. The government couldn’t pin it on a single person’, he says. Hashtags like #RejectFinanceBill2024, #OccupyParliament, and #RutoMustGo, were shared widely by Kenyan youth to protest against President William Ruto’s policies and mobilise nationwide demonstrations.
Meanwhile, in Madagascar, what began as protests over recurrent water and electricity cuts quickly exploded into a broader youth-led movement. Roméo Tovonantenaina, president of Youth Empowerment, a grassroots organisation advocating for youth rights and civic participation, attended the march from Imeritsiatosika to Antananarivo’s central square, a trek of 20 kilometres. ‘At first it was about utilities, but the movement quickly expanded to demand accountability, expose corruption, and reclaim a political voice’, he remarks. Gen Z led the protests, older generations provided support, and digital tools enabled organisation despite government monitoring.
Digital Tools as Lifelines
Across all three countries, social media and messaging platforms were central. In Morocco, encrypted messaging apps and social media allowed young people to share real-time updates, coordinate safe routes, and amplify messages. In Kenya, Gichure says that online networks and technology helped activists identify legislators, share information about police presence, and document abuses. ‘The online spaces made the movement more visible and safer’, he notes.
In Madagascar, platforms like Facebook and Discord provided a shield against state repression. Protestors shared instructions, flagged dangerous areas, and documented violence. Tovonantenaina points out that these tools also helped distinguish peaceful demonstrators from looters and coordinate neighbourhood security committees. Eugène Andriamasy, a Gen X activist from Madagascar, added that older generations also used social media to support Gen Z’s leadership while remaining in the background: ‘People put the flag used by the Gen Z in their Facebook page.’
Research on digital activism confirms the digital experience of street protests. Studies indicate that young people in Africa are increasingly using online platforms to organise, disseminate information, and protect participants as well as to create symbolic connections across borders. Hashtags and memes, for instance, serve not just as rallying points but as tools of solidarity, turning local struggles into regional conversations. In Morocco, Kenya, and Madagascar, youth used these tools to bridge the distance across the continent, learning from each other’s strategies and experiences.
Solidarity and Risks
Women also played a crucial role in Morocco and Kenya's Gen Z movements. They led marches, coordinated medical aid, and communicated updates online. Their visibility and organisational contributions challenged often male-dominated protest spaces. Across Africa activists’ leadership was horizontal and decentralised, with no single figure dominating – a structure that made movements more resilient.
But the stakes were high. In Kenya, infiltrators and government surveillance created confusion, while Madagascar’s police used tear gas and live ammunition. El Mnasfi notes that Moroccan youth had to navigate threats of monitoring and misinformation and adopt secure communication practices. Across Africa, activists often have to juggle the need to push for change with the need to protect themselves from both digital surveillance and physical harm.
While local grievances differed – including finance reform in Kenya, utilities and corruption in Madagascar, and transparency in Morocco – common themes emerged such as inequality, marginalisation, and frustration with unresponsive governments. Even under surveillance and repression, Gen Z’s ability to share strategies and experiences across borders strengthens pan-African solidarity and amplifies their demands for change. Hashtags, livestreams, and shared tactics create a sense of pan-African solidarity, a knowledge exchange between cities and countries.
‘Even if we don’t coordinate directly, seeing other young Africans fight similar battles gives energy and ideas’, says Tovonantenaina. El Mnasfi adds, ‘Digital tools allow us to see each other, learn from each other, and create solidarity that transcends borders.’ Whether coordinating strategy, documenting abuses, or sharing information, youth movements across Africa are tightly connected, often combining hybrid digital mobilisation with street protests.
Change, Hope, and the Road Ahead
The impact of these movements is complex. In Kenya, fiscal reforms were partially challenged. The protests successfully forced the government to scale back unpopular fiscal measures, demonstrating the power of organised youth activism, but broader systemic change is still pending. Madagascar saw the fall of a president and partial restoration of utilities. Moroccan youth continue to push for meaningful political inclusion. In all countries, structural challenges remain, including government monitoring, infiltration, corruption, and limited access to decision-making.
Yet there is hope. Across borders, young Africans are cultivating a generation of civic actors who understand the power of the street and the screen. They are learning to organise horizontally, leverage digital tools, amplify each other’s voices, and sustain momentum despite repression. They are proving that activism can be collective and that solidarity and creativity are essential components of a movement’s longevity.
Regarding the Kenyan context, Gichure underlines, ‘The youth were willing to risk everything. The unity and courage were inspiring.’ Tovonantenaina echoes this sentiment in relation to the protests in Madagascar, declaring, ‘We sowed a seed. That seed will grow.’ El Mnasfi, reflecting on Morocco, identifies the enduring lesson of the GenZ protests across Africa: ‘Digital and physical activism together create spaces where young people can be heard, even in the face of government control.’
Across Morocco, Kenya, and Madagascar, young Africans are showing that political change does not always start with established leaders or formal organisations. Often, it begins with networks of determined citizens willing to challenge power in the streets, even when facing surveillance and repression. These movements are horizontal, creative, and led by a new generation demanding a stronger voice in Africa’s political future.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V.