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After months of campaigning across the Big Apple, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral elections on Tuesday. In his victory speech, he gave a special shoutout to his wife, thanking her for all her love and support. "And to my incredible wife, Rama, hayati ['my life' in Arabic]. There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment, and in every moment," he declared.But who is the 28-year-old set to be the first lady of America's largest city?About the artist Rama Sawaf DuwajiBorn on 30 June 1997 in Houston, Texas, Rama Sawaf Duwaji is a New York-based Syrian-American artist. She has lived in both the Gulf and the U.S. in her childhood, moving to Dubai when she was nine years old. Duwaji studied design at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts in Qatar, transferring to the Richmond campus to finish her degree. She then attended the School of Visual Arts in New York, earning a master's degree in illustration.Her work revolves around themes of the Arab world, examining the nuances of sisterhood and communal experiences with drawn portraiture and movement, according to her professional website. Duwaji's work has been featured in numerous publications, from The New Yorker to the Washington Post and even the BBC World Service documentary on the assassination of Yemeni politician Mohamed Noman, 'Who killed my grandfather?'She has been vocal about her criticism of American imperialism in her artwork and in the media. In an interview with Yung, Duwaji affirmed, "With so many people being pushed out and silenced by fear, all I can do is use my voice to speak out about what’s happening in the US and Palestine and Syria as much as I can." Coming from an immigrant background herself, Duwaji uses her art as a means of activism to amplify the voices of the marginalised through art.How did the couple meet?You would be surprised to know that Zohran Mamdani met the lovely Rama Duwaji on the dating app Hinge. Mamdani revealed that he and Duwaji matched on the app in 2021, when he had just been elected to the state assembly. Their first date was at Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee shop in Brooklyn, as per CNN reports. After years of dating, they became engaged in October last year before finally tying the knot in February this year with a quaint courtroom wedding.The mayor-elect even joked about it in an interview with Bulwark, "so there is still hope in those dating apps."Her role in his mayoral campaignAs an artist, Duwaji used her design skills to assist Mamdani's campaign, finalising his brand identity alongside his campaign team. Despite her behind-the-scenes contributions, she remained outside of the limelight for most of the mayoral campaign, a move that led Mamdani's opponents to believe that he was "hiding" her.However, the candidate addressed the criticism in a post he shared on Instagram in May:"If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be. I usually brush it off, whether it’s death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it’s different when it’s about those you love.Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk’s office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race—which should be about you—about her.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.As per the NY Post, Duwaji is excited but overwhelmed by the increasing public attention. But it's safe to say that the new first lady can rest assured that she has already won many hearts alongside her mayor-elect husband.The article has been authored by Tejasree Kallakrinda, an intern at Deccan Chronicle
