International (MNN) — Global, tech-savvy Gen Z is raising its voice against corruption. Youth-led protests in Nepal toppled the nation’s government in early September. The spark? A social media ban.
In the weeks since Nepal’s turnover, Gen Z protests have occurred in the Philippines, Madagascar, Peru, and Morocco. Since 2024, Serbia and Kenya have also experienced anti-government demonstrations. The motivations have varied within each nation, but all have the theme of young adults who want to see corruption removed from their countries.
“I think the soul knows when things are wrong. You feel compassion for these people [who are] living in countries where the situation has gotten to the point that even these young people are like, ‘Hey, that’s corruption, and that’s not okay,’” says Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries. She adds that if God intervenes, “this is a generation that could hold people to account and ask for a government that takes care of their people.”
Nepalese Gen Z protesters in front of Bharatpur city corporation office (Photo courtesy of हिमाल सुवेदी via Wikimedia Commons, Own work – CC BY-SA 4.0)
Godwin sees a parallel between these recent events and the Arab Spring of the early 2010s. Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Syria all experienced uprisings — some leading to changes in government, others to division or civil war.
“Some of these people live in places [where] it is a danger to them to be having these protests. [This is a generation] that’s pretty fed up with corruption, that’s pretty fed up with the restrictions of governments that have chosen to subjugate people, either via religion or governance. [It] seems like they’re using different reasons for the protests, but I think the essence is the same,” says Godwin.
“I’ve spoken to Egyptians who say, ‘Oh, the corruption is right back where it was at the Arab Spring. It’s just [under] different names.’”
Watch and pray that there are no arbitrary crackdowns on young demonstrators. Last month, Nepal’s demonstrations turned violent, resulting in the deaths of more than 70 people. In Madagascar, at least 22 people were killed. Danger is always present, for both protestors and law enforcement.
“It’s an important thing that they’re birthing. They’re aware of corruption, they’re aware of injustice, but can it be channeled into something besides chaos or anarchy?” says Godwin.
Ask God for more than just lives to be spared.
“What we’re seeing in Gen Z is a spiritual reawakening. It may not be necessarily focused on Jesus Christ, but there is a spiritual hunger in this generation,” says Godwin. “This is a really important time for Christians to be praying for God to use these disruptions of protests in people’s lives to bring them to salvation in Jesus.”
Pray that Gen Z’s actions in these nations will result in good changes. But remember that only God can truly end abuse and deception on earth.
“We can think we’re immune in some place[s], but corruption goes back to original sin,” says Godwin. “We are surrounded by humans who are vulnerable to taking advantage of others.”
Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Ali Haghighi via Unsplash.