APEX Express – 7.2.26 – International Youth Movements
About this episode
This episode explores international youth movements and their impact on politics in Nepal and Bangladesh.
APEX Express is a weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. Over the past few years, a series of popular uprisings across the world have been described by mainstream media as “Gen-Z Uprisings” – movements led by young people and described in western media as generally being against government corruption. These movements have been most notably visible in our own media due to their use of technology, including platforms like Discord and TikTok, and internationally consistent adoption of pop culture symbolism, like the flag of the “straw hat pirates,” a black flag depicting a grinning jolly roger wearing a straw hat. The flag is the banner of the protagonists of the long-running hit anime series One Piece whose adventures often find them coming to the defense of marginalized communities around their world. But these movements didn’t come out of nowhere (or the internet for that matter). Understanding their origins – and the elections that have resulted from their successes – can shed light both onto the international struggle against authoritarianism and the challenges we face building an…
People in this episode
Guests: Sharmin Hossain, Samir Shrestha
Topics covered
- youth movements
- popular uprisings
- authoritarianism
- technology in activism
- South Asia politics
- elections
Keywords
- youth activism
- Nepal elections
- Bangladesh elections
- Gen-Z
- authoritarianism
- social media
- One Piece
- pop culture
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: One Piece
Places: Nepal, Bangladesh
More episodes of KPFA - APEX Express
- APEX Express – 7.16.26 – South Asians and The Labor Justice Movement
- APEX Express – 7.9.26 – Connie Wun & Think Twice
- APEX Express – 6.25.26 – Spitting Fire: Doktora Robyn Speaks
- APEX Express – 6.18.26 Talk Story with Thao Nguyen
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