While the world is hailing New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for his win, his artist wife, Rama Duwaji is now also in the spotlight.
With Zohran Mamdani making history on 4 November after being elected New York’s first Indian-American and Muslim mayor, attention has turned to his wife, First Lady Rama Duwaji.
Duwaji was born in Houston, Texas, in the US but her parents are originally from Damascus, Syria, and she spent most of her childhood in Dubai after relocating there. She returned to the US in 2016.
Dubbed a “modern-day Princess Diana”, the 28-year-old works as an illustrator and animator in Brooklyn, New York, graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, then moving to New York City in 2021 to pursue a career in art.
Her work has been featured by Spotify, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, the BBC, Apple, and the Tate Modern in London.
After meeting on dating app Hinge in 2021, while the now-mayor was a member of the state assembly, Duwaji and Mamdani tied the knot in a private Muslim religious ceremony in 2024, followed by a civil ceremony in New York City Hall the following year.
While the illustrator has kept a low profile, reportedly turning down interviews and mostly sharing her work across social media, she paid tribute to Mamdani on Instagram after winning the primary in July.
Mamdani has previously praised his wife as “an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms”.
Pro-Palestine art
Along with Arabic culture and feminist themes, Duwaji frequently uses her art to speak out about current events and politics, including Israel’s war on Gaza and immigration issues, such as the heavy-handed activities of ICE, which has been conducting mass deportation raids in the US since Trump’s appointment.
In May, Duwaji created an animation of a young Palestinian girl holding a large empty pot with the words “not a hunger crisis”, followed by a transition into drawings of several people also holding empty vessels with texts reading “it is deliberate starvation”.
“As I was making this, Israel has been bombing Gaza nonstop with consecutive airstrikes. Keep your eyes on Gaza and support”, the artist said in the caption.
Duwaji had also created an illustration in support of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE over his activism. She called it “an attack on freedom of speech, and sets a scary f**king precedent for anyone who speaks up for what’s right”.
Following her husband’s win, the artist wore a black top made by Palestinian-Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi on stage as he delivered his winning speech. Hijazi’s designs fuse ancient folklore with Arab futurism.
MAGA supporters were also quick to target Duwaji after she publicly mourned the death of Palestinian influencer Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was accused of “celebrating” the 7 October attacks.
Mandani has been quick to defend his wife against “right-wing trolls”, who are “trying to make this race – which should be about [the people] – about her”.
Attacks by right-wingers
Like her partner, Duwaji has also been subjected to attacks from American right-wing personalities and the media, particularly the New York Post, which described the illustrator as “aloof”, claiming she “quietly steered” her husband’s campaign from behind the scenes.
MAGA supporters were also quick to target the artist after publicly mourning the death of Palestinian influencer Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was accused of “celebrating” the 7 October attacks.
Mandani has been quick to defend his wife against “right-wing trolls”, who are “trying to make this race – which should be about [the people] – about her”.
source/content: newarab.com (headline edited)
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AMERICAN / SYRIAN
