Gen Z and digital protests across Asia and AfricaCEFR B1
24 Nov 2025
Adapted from Forus, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Leonardo Basso, Unsplash
Young activists across Asia and Africa are using phones, apps and encrypted tools to organise rapid, decentralised protests. They demand transparency, merit-based governance and reliable services, and they press for a role in making solutions.
Nepal shows how online organising can translate into street action. From April 2025 youths shared memes and criticised corruption. By September 2025 TikTok reels and Discord threads had become marches. Authorities imposed social media bans, but the movement moved through encrypted servers and proxy networks. Within thirty hours of the first online call the elected government fell after thousands of micro-actions. Debates about a so-called Gen-Z Mandate continued online and in cafés, and elections were announced for March 2026. The government later named Mahabir Pun as Minister for Education, Science, and Technology; Pun had won the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2007 for work on rural internet access.
Regional reports from the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) note pressures on civil society in several countries, including surveillance in India and fragility in Sri Lanka after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled in 2022.
Difficult words
- protest — A public expression of disagreement or demand.protests, demonstrations
- demand — To ask for something strongly or insistently.demanding, demands
- change — To make something different from what it is.
- accountability — Being responsible for actions or decisions.
- change — To make something different from what it is.
- agency — The ability to take action and make choices.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How do you think social media affects protests today?
- What changes do young people want in your country?
- Why is youth involvement important in political movements?
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