非洲風情：席捲全球的Ｚ世代抗爭

今個夏天，Ｚ世代自主發起多場去中心化、以社交網絡動員的示威抗爭。其中尼泊爾因應社交平台禁令而觸發示威，正是由電玩迷常用的通訊平台Ｄｉｓｃｏｒｄ一個民間頻道發起，在政府倒台後，軍方主動接觸組織者，以該通訊平台推舉具反貪背景的前首席大法官卡爾基出任總理。

借助社交平台組織社會運動並非新鮮事，早在２０１０年代初的「阿拉伯之春」，同樣是依賴社交平台推持，掀起席捲阿拉伯世界的抗爭，民眾走上街頭推翻專政。由１９９７年至２０１０年期間出生的網絡原住民，作為成長於智能手機和社交網絡的世代，以此組織示威屬自然不過。

摩洛哥西南部城市阿加迪爾（Ａｇａｄｉｒ），最少八名孕婦於同一個月內，在當地一間公立醫院接受剖腹手術後死亡，該醫院自１９６７年起不曾維修及更新任何設備。即使當地衛生部長解僱多名官員，終止外判公司提供服務的合約，並安排緊急維修醫療設備等，仍無法平息民怨。

非洲國家盃及世界盃決賽周部分賽事，分別將於２０２５年及２０３０年在摩洛哥舉行。示威民眾不滿，當地政府耗資數十億美元興建足球場，卻未有正視當地醫療資源匱乏的問題。舉例世界衛生組織建議，每１０００名人口最少需要２．３名醫護人員，在摩洛哥卻只有１．５名。

根據國家統計局，２５歲以下年輕人的失業率逾三成五。匿名青年組織「ＧｅｎＺ　２１２」（２１２是摩洛哥的國際電話區號）遂動員示威，導致多人死傷，觸發警民衝突。即使首相阿赫努什稱願意對話和回應訴求，組織要求國王穆罕默德六世解散政府，並啟動政界貪腐獨立調查。

席捲非洲的Ｚ世代抗爭，除北非摩洛哥外，還包括東非馬達加斯加，逾１０小時停水停電引發全國示威，其中在首都安塔那那利佛警民衝突，總統拉喬利納同月宣布解散政府；而西非多哥數千計民眾上街，抗議現任部長會議主席的前總統福雷・納辛貝，企圖修改憲法容許無限期掌權。

Morocco - The Rise and Spread of Gen Z Protests

Mobilized through social networks, Generation Z has initiated numerous decentralized protests. In Nepal, demonstrations sparked by a social media ban were organized through the gaming social platform Discord. Following the government's collapse, the military reached out to the protesters and approved their proposal, making the former Chief Justice Sushila Karkias as the interim Prime Minister.

Organizing social movements with use of social media is not a new phenomenon. In the early 2010s, the “Arab Spring” relied on social platforms to ignite protests across the Arab world, leading millions of people to take to the streets and overthrow dictatorships. Born between 1997 and 2010, Generation Z are known as digital natives. Unsurprisingly, they organize protests via social networks.

Situated in the southwestern Morocco, a public hospital in Agadir had not been renovated since 1967. At least 8 pregnant women died in the same month after undergoing caesarean sections. Even though the health minister has fired several officials, terminated contracts with outsourcing companies, as well as arranged an emergent upgrade of medical equipment, the local discontent persisted.

The Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup are scheduled to take place in 2025 and 2030 respectively. Protesters expressed outrage that the government spent billions to build stadiums while neglecting the shortage of medical resources. A ratio of at least 2.3 healthcare workers per 1,000 people is considered a minimum threshold to achieve basic health goals by the WHO, but Morocco has only 1.5.

The unemployment rate among youth under 25 exceeds 35%. An anonymous youth organization “GenZ 212” mobilized a national protest. Although Prime Minister Akhannouch has expressed the willingness for dialogue and response to their demands, the organisers of “GenZ 212” have called for King Mohammed VI to dissolve the government and investigate political corruption.

The Gen Z protests sweep across Africa. In Madagascar, protests were sparked by water and power cuts, but soon expanded to include frustrations over allegations of corruption and nepotism, leading to the dissolution of government. A new constitution allows Faure Gnassingbé to escape the constraint of presidential term limits in Togo, triggered popular weariness with a regime that has been in power for almost 6 decades.

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