Zohran Mamdani’s rise resonates far past New York : NPR
Uganda-born son of Indian immigrants turned NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani is drawing world consideration — particularly from progressives eyeing his playbook.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Zohran Mamdani’s rise to New York Metropolis mayor is making waves far past the 5 boroughs of town. Born in Uganda to a household of Indian descent, Mamdani’s win is drawing consideration all over the world, and progressive politicians are taking be aware. For a view from overseas, we have turned to our correspondents in Asia, Europe and, first, Africa, with reporter Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “KANDA (CHAP CHAP)”)
YOUNG CARDAMOM: (Rapping) I received the identical historical past as chapati. Origins of India however born in UG. Rock-brown pores and skin (rapping in non-English language).
KATE BARTLETT: That is rapper Younger Cardamom, in all probability now higher often called Zohran Mamdani, the youngest mayor-elect of one of many world’s most necessary cities. On this decade-old music video filmed in his delivery nation, Uganda, Mamdani nods to his Indian roots then shortly switches to Luganda, the native language of the East African nation. Even his second title, Kwame, is African.
Ugandan journalist Joseph Beyanga mentored Mamdani when he was getting work expertise in media in Kampala. He mentioned the mayor-elect had a social conscience at the same time as a young person.
JOSEPH BEYANGA: His questions had been all the time about, this and this has occurred. How does it have an effect on the folks? He was all the time in contact with the widespread man, so it isn’t something new. It is simply grown larger and now he has it on a giant stage.
BARTLETT: Mamdani’s household left Uganda when he was 5 and moved to South Africa, the place apartheid had simply ended. St. George’s Grammar College in Cape City congratulated their well-known alumni on Wednesday, urging him to uphold the college motto, which is, the braveness to do what is correct.
FATIMA AL-KASSAB, BYLINE: I am Fatima Al-Kassab in London, the place the left-wing mayor is the son of immigrant mother and father.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SADIQ KHAN: Individuals can be questioning what it’s about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive metropolis.
AL-KASSAB: That is Sadiq Khan again in September. Plenty of comparisons are made between him and Zohran Mamdani. Each are their metropolis’s first Muslim mayor, and each have clashed with President Trump. However politically, Mamdani is taken into account additional to the left and extra much like figures like U.Okay. Inexperienced Get together chief Zack Polanski, who spoke on Sky Information.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ZACK POLANSKI: I really feel like I am grinning from ear to ear. It simply looks like a pleasant second the place hope has triumphed.
AL-KASSAB: Polanski has excited youthful voters and seen a surge within the polls for the Inexperienced Get together. The press is even asking if he’ll turn out to be Britain’s reply to New York Metropolis’s mayor-elect. In actual fact, plainly everybody desires to be the British Mamdani or French Mamdani.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MANON AUBRY: Vote for Zohran for a metropolis you may afford. (Talking French).
AL-KASSAB: That is French member of the European Parliament Manon Aubry campaigning for Mamdani in New York final week. She was one in every of a gaggle of left-wing European politicians who got here earlier than the vote to study the secrets and techniques to his stunning success.
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: I am Diaa Hadid in Mumbai, town the place Zohran Mamdani’s father was born. Mamdani’s victory was headline information in South Asia. Why not? His roots run deep right here. His Hindu mom was raised in New Delhi – Mira Nair, an Oscar-nominated director. His Muslim father is a Ugandan citizen who was born in Mumbai. However in India, Zohran Mamdani’s victory was met coolly by the Hindu nationalist governing occasion, the BJP, led by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. That is as a result of the Mayor-elect as soon as known as Modi a warfare prison. He accused him of being behind communal riots that raged by way of the western state of Gujarat in 2002 that killed greater than a thousand folks on the time when Modi was the chief minister. The Indian Supreme Court docket later discovered no proof to prosecute Modi of any wrongdoing.
However there are others who embrace Mamdani for his discuss concerning the India he loves – a tolerant, multi-faith nation. He appeared to nod to these folks after his victory was declared when he referenced an iconic speech by India’s independence chief Jawaharlal Nehru. He mentioned, a second comes however hardly ever in historical past the place we step out from the previous to the brand new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation lengthy suppressed finds utterance. And tonight, he mentioned, we’ve got stepped out from the previous into the brand new.
CHANG: That was NPR’s Diaa Hadid in Mumbai. Earlier, we heard from Fatima Al-Kassab in London and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg.
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