Posted by Written by Paul Easton, Staff Writer
2025 was a political mess, from violence between opposing parties to endless legal battles between corporations and political figures. But after all this, there is still a glimmer of hope in the newer generations.
In early September of 2025 the people of Nepal were fed up with government corruption and ignorance but this was only the start. The Nepalese government banned 26 social media platforms including Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram and more. Another reason for the growing resentment of the Nepalese government is nepotism. Youth related to powerful politicians or people in the government were given roles in the government and/or state-run businesses. This caused a phenomenon online called ānepo kids.ā In response to posts about or from these ānepo kidsā which went viral there was lots of backlash for the Nepalese government.
The frustration caused by this corruption quickly fled to the streets in the form of violent protests. The protests escalated on September 8th after security barriers were breached. The Nepalese protest response consisted of tear gas, rubber bullets and even some live ammunition. These drastic actions werenāt enough to stop the Gen z protesters though. In a mass raid they stormed their capital building and burned it to the ground. Buildings they burned include the Supreme Court, Parliament building, Headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party as well as the house of the former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
This revolution also shows the interconnectedness of newer generations. Whether this be through social media or just the ability to easily connect with people of common interests, this fueled the spread of these revolutionary ideas in Nepal. The protesters used the Straw Hatās Jolly Rogers flag from the anime One Piece. With over 1000 episodes, this anime has been running since 1999 and, for the people of Nepal, this flag isn’t just something from a show they watched when they were a kid. This shows their freedom and unity against corruption as they band together to fight it.
Images from The Revolution in Nepal and around the world.
As a result of the protests, KP Sharma Oli, the Prime Minister at the time, resigned and an interim government was established to take care of immediate problems in the meantime. The social media ban was lifted, and voter registrations were extended to get youth to participate in usual forms of election. There was an estimated $21 billion dollars in damage after the protests, as well as at least 74 deaths and over 2000 injuries.
A nonprofit organization with many ties to Nepal, The Maya Gold Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teens through mental health education, community and international outreach founded in memory of Maya Gold. Up until the middle of covid, the Maya Gold Foundation has been sending the youth and adults to Nepal to help the community and prevent human trafficking, which was Mayaās dream.
“Nepal is a very young democracy, they haven’t had much practice”.
-Mathew Swerdloff Board Member and Co-Founder of the Maya Gold Foundation
One youth action team member, Hannah who participated in the Maya Goldās trip to Nepal said, āGoing to Nepal with the Maya Gold Foundation gave me hands-on experiences that helped me to visualize a future working with children in developing countries. We went to a rural school in the foothills of the Himalayas on this trip, we planted trees, sang songs, painted a mural, and brought a bunch of donations. It was being able to do that and make those connections that empowered me. I realized I wanted to make an impact in as many ways as I could. Both the trip to Nepal and the work I did with the Foundation at home taught me so much about myself and how I can help others.ā Their foundation does lots of good and they get a good view of what’s going on in Nepal. While the protests made major changes, they also revealed the fragility of Nepal’s political system. Mathew Swerdloff, Board Member and Co-Founder of the Maya Gold Foundation said that “Nepal is a very young democracy, they haven’t had much practice”. Just like the American Revolution and so many before it, this is a crucial step in the direction of learning how to run a country.
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