From Antananarivo to Rabat, young demonstrators have taken to the streets carrying a message that the social contract has been broken and their patience has run out. Over the past 18 months, youth-led protests have rattled Morocco’s constitutional monarchy, forced Kenyan President William Ruto to withdraw a controversial tax hike, and toppled the government of Andry Rajoelina in Madagascar. Like their Asian counterparts, leaderless and digitally coordinated Gen Z protests are rewriting Africa’s political script and exposing failures of governance in real time.
Unlike the 2010-2011 Arab Spring uprisings against entrenched authoritarian regimes, this generation of protests have predominantly occurred in countries with multiparty systems and elected governments. Yet these democracies have proven unable to translate electoral mandates into basic service delivery and economic opportunity. Consequently, the concept of democracy has become an empty promise for a generation of African youth.
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Lesley Anne Warner, PhD: Insight | Strategy | Impact 
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