Madagascar’s Bitchat Boom Sparks Turmoil and Laughs

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In a city weary of perpetual inconvenience, protests over repeated water and power cuts have, alas, turned rather boisterous in Antananarivo, and the appetite for offline messaging tools has grown in proportion to the unrest, as various reports and public signals would have us believe. 😂

Protests Shake The Capital

Accounts tell of crowds who, after days of blackouts and shortages, did take to the streets with a resolve most unbecoming of a tranquil salon. The authorities, in their wisdom, imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew to try to stop looting and clashes-one cannot help but admire such a display of administrative punctuality, though the outcome remains to be seen. 😅

Police, in their melancholy duty, employed tear gas against some demonstrators, and at least five deaths have been linked to the unrest. The pressure upon the government was so great that the Energy minister was removed from office amid the turmoil-one might say the solemnities of power were tested as gravely as a heroine at a ball, and the result was not always pleasing to the spectator. 🤔

Bitchat Interest Surges

According to the numerals employed by tech journals, searches for the name “Bitchat” in Madagascar rose from a mere zero to the dizzying height of a hundred on Google Trends during the same period-a sign, perhaps, of intense interest in a window as short as a bonnet ribbon. 😄

Chrome-Stats reveal 365,307 total downloads since launch, with 21,000 installs reported in the last twenty-four hours and 71,000 in the past week-global totals, no less, though Madagascar may be the stage set for the first act of a rather modern farce. 🤹‍♀️

According to reports, related queries such as “Bitchat download” and “how to use Bitchat” were marked as breakout topics in the country’s search activity. A most entertaining bustle of curiosity, one might say, akin to the drawing-room chatter of a bustling season. 💬

Bitchat is a Bluetooth mesh messaging tool that can operate without an internet connection or phone numbers, a contrivance most useful to those who find dependence upon wires and signals tiresome. 🔗

bitchat downloads spiking in #madagascar

– calle (@callebtc) September 28, 2025

Bitchat is tied to the blockchain and uses the Bitcoin network to finalize transactions and allows users to securely send Bitcoin over Bluetooth. Its design emphasizes privacy through end-to-end encryption, ephemeral messages, and the use of cryptocurrency wallets as an alternative to traditional identifiers like phone numbers. 🔐

These technical features showcase usefulness when internet service is limited or when individuals fear a disruption in their networks. Observers noted that there was a heightened level of local interest when protests, and curfews were in place-a small courtship of circumstance, you may think, with propriety as its witness. 🙂

Madagascar Struggles With Digital Divide As Most Residents Are Offline

According to DataReportal, at the start of 2025, only 6.6 million of nearly 32 million residents in Madagascar are online. The data highlights the digital divide facing Madagascar, as limited access to information and economic opportunity limit progress. 📵

The report further indicates that over 18 million mobile subscriptions are active, and many rely on voice calling and SMS which does not mean access to the full internet, again reflecting issues with access and affordability in Madagascar. A stubborn impediment to the more sparkling promises of modern convenience. 💸

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2025-09-29 14:15