Zohran Mamdani’s stunning ascent to become the first-ever Muslim mayor of New York City caps a highly-visible, months-long campaign. While Mamdani was everywhere over the last few weeks — going from nightclubs to marathons — his wife Rama Duwaji remained largely behind the scenes.
The New York Post described her as “aloof” — noting that she “quietly helped boost the Democratic socialist’s viral social media presence and even designed his logos” despite choosing to stay out of the spotlight.
Here is all we know about Rama Duwaji:
Rama Duwaji, 28, is the wife of Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani. She is an artist by profession.
Duwaji was born in Houston, Texas to a family of Syrian descent. Her family moved to Dubai when she was 9.
She attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar for some time, before transferring to the school’s Richmond campus in Virginia, USA.
The 28-year-old went on to earn her master’s in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Rama Duwaji has over 2 lakh followers on Instagram — a number that has shot up significantly since her husband began his mayoral campaign.
{{/usCountry}}Rama Duwaji has over 2 lakh followers on Instagram — a number that has shot up significantly since her husband began his mayoral campaign.
{{/usCountry}}Grazia reports that her works have been featured in prestigious publications like The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Vogue, and Tate Modern. Her artwork often features themes revolving around Middle Eastern women.
Duwaji lent her expertise as an artist to Mamdani’s electoral campaign — according to a CNN report, she was the one who finalized Mamdani’s brand identity, including his use of bold colours like yellow, orange and pink in the campaign material.