Legacy
13 May Square remembers
Gen Z did not come out of nowhere. Since 1947, every Malagasy generation has had to rise against injustice, and almost every time the people's victory was taken from them. Knowing this history is how we avoid repeating it.
1947
The insurrection
On 29 March 1947, Malagasy people rose against French colonial rule. The repression was terrible: tens of thousands dead. The MDRM was crushed. In 2026, its nationalist song opened the Gen Z commemoration.
1972
Malagasy May
On 13 May 1972, students and workers brought down Philibert Tsiranana's regime. The square by Antananarivo's town hall took that day's name: 13 May Square became the beating heart of every struggle since.
1991
The "Forces Vives"
Hundreds of thousands demanded democracy. On 10 August 1991, the presidential guard opened fire on a march towards the Iavoloha palace. The movement opened the way to the Third Republic.
2002
The post-election crisis
After a disputed presidential vote, people occupied 13 May Square for months. The country came close to civil war.
2009
The confiscation
On 7 February 2009, protesters led by the young mayor Andry Rajoelina were shot outside the Ambohitsorohitra palace. In March, a CAPSAT mutiny brought him to power. The AU suspended Madagascar. The people's anger served one man's ambition.
2025
Gen Z
Sixteen years later, the same CAPSAT unit refused to fire on the youth and hastened Rajoelina's fall. History came full circle and asked the same question: who will the victory belong to?
The lesson of 1972, 1991, 2002 and 2009
The people topple regimes; others move into the palaces. Gen Z understood this by 20 October 2025, when it denounced appointments made without it. To remember is to refuse to let history repeat itself.