Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat mayoral candidate, has officially won the race and has been elected as New York City’s mayor. While he remained in the spotlight, the Mayoral frontrunner’s wife, Rama Duwaji, remained rather aloof. While her art remains public and her creations stun the art world, she has been a significant but silent push behind Mamdani’s campaign.
While the Mayoral first lady is less likely to be under the media lens, Mamdani’s faith and Duwaji’s pro-Palestinian stand often kept them in headlines, even during the campaigning was still on. Away from public appearances, cameras, and more, the artist wife preferred to remain away from the spotlight.
Who is Rama Duwaji?
The Dallas-raised, Dubai-educated Rama Duwaji moved to Dubai when she was 9 years old, as per a CNN report. Now 28, the Syrian-American illustrator and animator, she attended college at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. After moving back to the United States, she completed her degrees in Richmond.
While little is known about her personal life, Mamdani, in a candid conversation with comedian Kaneez Surka, revealed that they met on an online dating app. They shared a love for music and art before Mamdani asked for her hand in marriage in Dubai and tied the knot earlier this year.
Duwaji reportedly has a client list which includes names like The New Yorker, The Washington Post, VICE, BBC, Apple, Spotify, Tate Modern, and Cartier. Commonly seen on her social media page, she expresses her artistic talents through ceramics, pottery, and other communal practices. Moreover, she is said to be behind Mamdani’s viral social media presence, campaign design, and the iconography that placed him on the map.“Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family,” Mamdani had previously mentioned, addressing the backlash he received for the absence of his wife from public events.
As Mamdani scripted history with his political feat by becoming New York City’s first Indian-American, first Muslim, and first Democratic-Socialist mayor, Duwaji stands tall as a new First Lady, New York City might not be used to.
