Gen Z and power change in Bangladesh

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After weeks of student-led demonstrations and violence across the country – which caused the deaths of hundreds of people - prime minister Sheikh Hasina has fled to India and resigned after 15 years of controversial rule. Many of those left behind are celebrating what they are describing as a second independence. The man brought in to temporarily lead the country – the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus – has called on young people to help rebuild the South Asian country. Generation Z, who are mostly in their teens and 20s, have played a large role in forcing political change. Hosts Luke Jones and James Reynolds bring some of those young voices together to hear their thoughts and hopes for the future. “This entire movement was wonderfully led by the student protestors and the coordinators,” said Plabani, a student who's from the minority Hindu community and lives in the capital Dhaka. “I think having some new students or some new young faces in the leadership would not harm the country." We also hear from Bangladeshis living in the US, Germany and Australia about following the events from afar and their thoughts on returning home to both family and a new democratic government. A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team. (Photo: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was recommended by Bangladeshi student leaders as the head of the interim government in Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 8, 2024. Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)