Gen Z Protests Across Asia, Africa, and South America: One Piece as a Symbol of Freedom and Defiance
From Madagascar to Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines, Gen Z protests have been making waves, fueled by concerns about living conditions, inequality, and government corruption. One common thread among these protests is the use of the Japanese manga and anime series, One Piece, as a symbol of freedom and defiance from the system.
In Madagascar, Setra Ariliva Andrianarivelonarivo, a 25-year-old who had never gone to a protest before, realized that typing words online wouldn't change his country. He joined the front lines, and within days, the country's president fled.
In Indonesia, the death of a delivery driver, Affan Kurniawan, who was hit by a police car, sparked protests that spread to other parts of the country. The protests were fueled by reports that all 580 members of parliament would receive a monthly housing allowance of about 50 million rupiah ($4,739) alongside their salaries, creating a deep disparity between the housing allowance and the monthly salaries of residents in parts of Jakarta.
In Nepal, a group of young people protested against a controversial ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, X, and YouTube, but they were met with open fire by authorities, leaving at least 19 people dead. The protests quickly turned into a focus on the lavish lifestyles of the children of Nepal's political elite and the disparities between the country's rich and poor.
In the Philippines, tens of thousands of people protested against government corruption, sparked by accusations from the owners of a construction firm that almost 30 politicians and officials were taking cash payments. The scandal was exposed because the children of the politicians were 'flexing' their lifestyles on social media.
One Piece, the symbol of the protests, reminds University of Melbourne senior lecturer in cultural studies Anissa Beta of The Milk Tea Alliance that began in 2020 after pro-democracy protests spread across parts of Asia. The series is about a group of pirates led by Monkey D Luffy, who sails the sea in search of freedom in a fictional universe, fighting against the 'World Government'.
For Mr Andrianarivelonarivo, One Piece symbolizes freedom and defiance from the system, and the protests are a revolution where they want freedom.
