ALBAWABA - As Zohran Mamdani makes history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York, his wife, Rama Duwaji, has become the talk of social media.
Dubbed as New York's first Gen Z first lady, Duwaji is a 28-year-old Syrian-American and a New York-based illustrator and animator. According to Gulf News, she first met Zohran Mamdani through a dating app called "Hinge" in 2021, and the couple hit it off. Three years later, they got married at a luxurious Dubai rooftop in 2024.
According to Duwaji's official art Instagram account, her illustrative and animated works explore different topics, including Middle Eastern culture, female empowerment, and mental health. Some of her works also explore Israel's occupation of Palestine and Israel's recent two-year aggression on Gaza.
Who is Rama Duwaji? Zohran Mamdani’s wife
Rama Duwaji was born in Texas on June 30, 1997, to Syrian parents from Damascus. She moved from Texas to Dubai when she was nine years old and spent most of her childhood and youth there, which influenced her work in illustration and animation.
According to Roya, Duwaji landed several jobs in the art industry, including collaborations with big companies such as Apple, Spotify, BBC, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker.
Her professional art journey began after she completed her Communication Arts course at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, which also influenced her work. However, Duwaji is now based in Brooklyn, New York.
Besides illustration and animation, Duwaji is skilled in ceramics and graphic novels and has exhibitions in London and Beirut, as reported by Gulf News.
