On September 25th, 2025, Madagascar joined the growing multitude of
countries currently undergoing widespread protests fueled by an accuseduneven distribution of resources and encroaching government
authoritarianism, leading to the deaths of at least 22 protestors at the
hands of President Andry Rajoelina's security forces and leaving as many
as 100 non-lethally injured according to figures reported by the United
Nations. Initially organised via social media platforms such as Facebook
and Tiktok, the newly-formed Gen Z Mada cites recent youth-led movements
in Nepal and Morocco as inspiration for their rebellion, which began in
the capital city of Antananarivo and has since spread throughout the
country. Madagascar's rising unrest further exemplifies Gen Z's unique
approach in the context of the digital age to class struggle,
revolution, and the lasting impacts of imperialism on national political
stability.
The class divide that fueled the crisis
Despite its material wealth in natural resources, Madagascar ranks today
as one of the top ten poorest countries in the world, with 75% of its
citizens living below the poverty line. According to the International
Monetary Fund, only one in every three people has access to electricity,
which is subject to frequent shortages causing blackouts that last up to
eight hours per day. Furthermore, water shortages, poor wages, lack of
access to medical care, and the arrest of local Antananarivo politicians
organising peaceful demonstrations in protest of these shortages on
September 19th sparked widespread action leading up to the official
beginning of the Malagasy protests on September 25th. Although President
Rajoelina sacked his cabinet and replaced Christian Ntsay as prime
minister in an attempt to quell the conflict, protestors ordered
Rajoelina himself to apologise and resign from his position, citing his
power and water cuts, increasing surveillance on political opponents and
journalists, and his approval of security forces administering tear gas,
water cannons, and AK-47s against demonstrators. Citizens also noted
Rajoelina's children attending expensive international universities and
affinity for designer clothing brands as particularly offensive when the
vast majority of Madagascar struggle to afford food and shelter, and
would never have the same socioeconomic opportunities the president
reportedly withholds essential living conditions from his own people to
grant him and his family.
Gen Z and the rise of internet activism in the digital age
Particularly significant to the social context of Madagascar's uprising
is its youth-led nature. With similar recent protests and revolutions
throughout the globe, the world has seen Gen Z as a demographic become
radicalised not only through poor living conditions and a general lack
of the promise of a better future, but also through the spread of
knowledge, media, and theory through the internet, an unprecedented
force in leftist organising in comparison to previous generations. This
relatively new technology offers a way for largely tech-savvy youth to
fight government corruption using some of capitalism's most advanced
tools, accelerating the rate of change and revolutionising the Gen Z
approach to class struggle and global politics in real time. Using
platforms like Tiktok, the Gen Z Mada underwent rapid formation and
recruitment, meeting with civil society groups and local politicians
both online and in person using the digital sphere for effective and
instantaneous communicative and organisational purposes. Likewise,
consistent access to news and media on the international level allows
for a global network of class frustration, ideological change and
action, and revolutionary fervour spread through the direct action of
youth in countries with similar material conditions that inspired the
Gen Z Mada, such as Nepal, Peru, and Morocco (particularly with their
parallel decentralised digital collective, known as Gen Z 212). In
essence, the utilisation of technology as a tool for liberation as seen
in global Gen Z's mobilisation tactics equalises the playing field of
revolutionary change, allowing more equal access to information, quicker
networking, international influence, a platform for all, and ease in
establishing bottom-up, horizontal decision-making processes in direct
contrast to implicitly hierarchical or totalitarian measures. Because of
this, when government surveillance or crackdowns on social media and
access to electricity become threatened, Gen Z exhibits strong
resistance and rapid development of class consciousness, such as what
became the revolution in Nepal, and of course, the ongoing conflict in
Madagascar.
French rule and the lasting impacts of colonialism on political stability
Another criticism many protestors have made towards President Rajoelina
stems from his involvement with the French government and industry in
Madagascar, especially due to his previous relatively secretive
acquisition of French citizenship and France's alleged role in
transporting him out of the country when he fled the rioting on October
13th. Madagascar, despite having gained independence in 1960, has
continuously held close ties to France when it comes to national
industry, trade, and political relations, suggesting the maintenance of
French influence on the island, which has faced historical exploitation
by European powers due to its affluence of natural resources. When those
resources still fail to be properly distributed to the people, it
inevitably begs the question of why that is so, and who in power may
play a role in preventing their rightful allocation in a supposedly
post-colonial era. These were some of the allegations hurled at former
president Marc Ravalomanana, replaced by Rajoelina in 2009 following
mass protests and a government coup at the hands of CAPSAT, ironically
the same military unit that abandoned their barracks on October 11th and
succeeded in seizing power in Rajoelina's newfound absence. Rajoelina
criticised Ravalomanana for many of the same actions now accused against
him, including corruption, lethal force against protestors, and
prioritising French interests over the needs of Madagascar. While
Rajoelina's development from an anti-authoritarian speaking out for the
people to a figure much like the one he initially opposed may appear
ironic, it is simultaneously a clear case of the common critique
associated with anarchist philosophy regarding the inherently
contaminating nature of the rigid hierarchy present within
nation-states. Also notable is how it exemplifies the persisting
psychological and political colonial influence within territories that
have historically fallen victim to imperialism, a topic explored much
more thoroughly by Algerian psychoanalyst and political philosopher
Frantz Fanon in many of his published academic texts, such as Wretched
of the Earth and Black Skin, White Masks.
Socialism and "anarchic elements" in Madagascar's history
Although the movement as a whole has not declared any specific ideology,
Gen Z Mada has received public backing from civil society groups, local
politicians, and trade unions (most notably the Malagasy Trade Union
Solidarity) encompassing a wide spectrum of anti-corruption political
thought united in their demands for President Rajoelina's resignation.
Furthermore, such revolutionary action is not unheard of throughout
Madagascar's history - from 1976 to 1992, the Democratic Republic of
Madagascar adhered to a one-party Marxist-Leninist system under the
Malagasy Revolutionary Party before the state's dissolution caused the
party to transition to a more moderate, reformist position. Prior to the
state's reformation, anthropologist David Graeber claimed through
personal observation that fragments of the country (particularly
Arivonimamo) fell into an arguably anarchic system of governance for a
period of about seven to eight years wherein local decisions derived
from consensus, border administration ceased, private property was
abolished, police presence largely vanished, and former government
buildings became communal meeting spaces, before the new millennia saw
the state's reemergence under a French-inspired capitalist market
economy. While there are no explicit references to any kind of socialism
in Gen Z Mada's official manifesto, it directly blames unregulated
capitalism for much of the country's systemic corruption, social
inequalities, and inability to provide for the working people.
Key takeaway
The recent political situation in Madagascar provides a stark example of
the Gen Z approach to youth-led digital organising in response to class
division and oppression, joining the likes of Nepal, Morocco, Peru, Sri
Lanka, and Bangladesh. While it is currently unclear what will become of
Andry Rajoelina's overthrow and CAPSAT's seizure of government power, as
leftists it is vital to remain informed on the development of current
events across the globe, and most importantly to support the
self-determination of all peoples in their respective struggle for
liberation against the forces of oppression.
Here are the links for the website and social medias for the Gen Z Mada,
which I think is the most relevant point of contact for the movement:
https://www.gen-z-madagascar.com/
https://www.instagram.com/gen_z_madagascar/?hl=en-gb
https://www.facebook.com/genz261?_rdc=1&_rdr#
Donno Gibson
Donno is an anarcho-communist writer, organiser, and musician based in
the United Kingdom
Images from the movement taken by Madagascar based photographer iAko
Randrianarivelo and used with his permission. Check out his Instagram,
https://www.instagram.com/iako_photographer.
Citations
Rakotomalala, Omega, and Wycliffe Muia. "Madagascar Protests: Why Gen Z
Protesters Want President Andry Rajoelina to Resign." BBC News, BBC, 3
Oct. 2025, www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz082y8j3jzo
Awami, Sammy, and Farouk Chothia. "Madagascar Presidency Says Attempt to
Seize Power Under Way." BBC News, BBC, 13 Oct. 2025,
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd070pn4g07o
Ali, Faisal. "New Prime Minister in Madagascar after Protests Continue
for Third Week." Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 7 Oct. 2025,
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/6/madagascar-anti-government-protesters-take-to-the-streets-for-third-week
Akrawi, Rezgar. "The Most Prominent Intellectual and Organizational
Foundations of the Electronic Left (E-Left)." Libcom.Org,
libcom.org/article/most-prominent-intellectual-and-organizational-foundations-electronic-left-e-left
Akrawi, Rezgar. "Gen Z 212 and Youth Protests in Morocco: From the
Digital Sphere to the Street." Libcom.Org,
libcom.org/article/gen-z-212-and-youth-protests-morocco-digital-sphere-street
Rfi. "France Evacuates Madagascar President amid Protests and Army
Revolt." RFI, RFI, 13 Oct. 2025,
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20251013-france-evacuates-madagascar-president-amid-protests-and-army-revolt
"Madagascar's Gen Z Drives Protests, but Offers Few Answers on What's
next" | Reuters,
www.reuters.com/world/europe/scenting-victory-madagascar-youth-give-scant-thought-whats-next-2025-10-14/
Awami, Sammy, and Danai Nesta Kupemba. "Military Says It Has Seized
Power in Madagascar after President Moves to 'Safe Place.'" BBC News,
BBC, 14 Oct. 2025, www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8xjjdgl8vo
Graeber, David. Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology. Prickly Paradigm
Press: Distributed by University of Chicago Press, 2004.
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. Editions Du Seuil, 1952.
Fanon, Frantz. Wretched of the Earth. François Maspero, 1961
https://organisemagazine.org.uk/2025/10/23/on-the-2025-malagasy-protests-international/
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