Awww I love your writing and your personal insights into this. I did not know much about him but I had the same thoughts as you, only in NYC can someone like him rise up. When I looked him up, his life story sounded fascinating and unique... yet those are the same life experiences that are being attacked as un-American now. Thanks for sharing more about his life outside NYC. I love having that insider glimpse into his surroundings pre politics.
Yes his story is certainly interesting and I think his parents' lives are even more fascinating! It's hard to believe their trajectory from India to Uganda to NYC. And you're right that under this administration, people like him might have a much harder time even getting here, especially with Uganda now on the travel ban lost. America's loss!!
When I first heard about Zohran last fall, I immediately thought of his parents and their incredible work, respectively. Thank you for sharing your perspective and experience. You're the first writer I've seen dig into their history in East Africa!
Thank you Diya! There's a lot more that could be said about both his parents and their work. I feel like I barely scratched the surface here..maybe I need to write a follow-up. Anyway, I'm so glad you found it interesting.
That was a great read! I went on a deep dive on Mamdani as well. When I noticed that his middle name is Kwame, as in Kwame Nkrumah, father of panafricanism, it told me a lot about his parents’ politics. I encourage everyone to read his father's Wikipedia page. A very interesting man indeed, and I love Mira Nair's movies!
Thank you for that sharing.... we in India generally don't know much about what happens in Africa. This background is fascinating.
William Dalrymple had tweeted a link to an Empire podcast episode where Mamdani senior spoke about the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. He came across as a very knowledgeable person who spoke really well.
I listened to that episode! I think it's the one where they discuss Rishi Sunak's Indian-Ugandan ancestry right? And yes, Mamdani Sr. is very articulate. I think the lecture of his I attended in Uganda was meant for PhD students and other academics but I love the instances when he speaks to a wider public.
This is such a thoughtful piece with both nuance and fresh context. I wish you hadn’t used the term “radicalized” in the title, though, because it is a loaded term and easily absorbed as additional ammunition amongst Islamophobes whose confirmation bias probably nodded affirmatively without so much as a click to understand that you were being facetious at worst.
I appreciate where you're coming from but I refuse to orient my writing around what Islamaphobes may or may not take away from it. As you said, their bias ensures they take away the worst possible version of what I or any writer means anyway.
Yes AND headlines matter. Nowhere in your piece is there any mention of radical or radicalization. Unfortunately, the sarcasm is lost on those who don’t have the time to click and read. I’m pointing out why it’s problematic not suggesting you change it. Finally, idk how anyone would take any meaning from your title other than that he WAS radicalized.
I wasn't being sarcastic. The policies he wants to implement *are* radical (in a good way), especially in the context of the current federal administration. And there is a direct link between his stance on most if not all his platform issues and how, where and who he was raised by.
Awww I love your writing and your personal insights into this. I did not know much about him but I had the same thoughts as you, only in NYC can someone like him rise up. When I looked him up, his life story sounded fascinating and unique... yet those are the same life experiences that are being attacked as un-American now. Thanks for sharing more about his life outside NYC. I love having that insider glimpse into his surroundings pre politics.
Yes his story is certainly interesting and I think his parents' lives are even more fascinating! It's hard to believe their trajectory from India to Uganda to NYC. And you're right that under this administration, people like him might have a much harder time even getting here, especially with Uganda now on the travel ban lost. America's loss!!
When I first heard about Zohran last fall, I immediately thought of his parents and their incredible work, respectively. Thank you for sharing your perspective and experience. You're the first writer I've seen dig into their history in East Africa!
Thank you Diya! There's a lot more that could be said about both his parents and their work. I feel like I barely scratched the surface here..maybe I need to write a follow-up. Anyway, I'm so glad you found it interesting.
That was a great read! I went on a deep dive on Mamdani as well. When I noticed that his middle name is Kwame, as in Kwame Nkrumah, father of panafricanism, it told me a lot about his parents’ politics. I encourage everyone to read his father's Wikipedia page. A very interesting man indeed, and I love Mira Nair's movies!
Yes I love that detail about him too. And his dad's writing outside the academic sphere is really accessible and engaging. This one is a favorite: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n19/mahmood-mamdani/the-asian-question
I'll take a look, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for that sharing.... we in India generally don't know much about what happens in Africa. This background is fascinating.
William Dalrymple had tweeted a link to an Empire podcast episode where Mamdani senior spoke about the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. He came across as a very knowledgeable person who spoke really well.
I listened to that episode! I think it's the one where they discuss Rishi Sunak's Indian-Ugandan ancestry right? And yes, Mamdani Sr. is very articulate. I think the lecture of his I attended in Uganda was meant for PhD students and other academics but I love the instances when he speaks to a wider public.
Yes, it is the episode on Rishi sunaks link with Africa.
Thanks for the backstory.
Thanks for reading Royce :)
This is such a thoughtful piece with both nuance and fresh context. I wish you hadn’t used the term “radicalized” in the title, though, because it is a loaded term and easily absorbed as additional ammunition amongst Islamophobes whose confirmation bias probably nodded affirmatively without so much as a click to understand that you were being facetious at worst.
I appreciate where you're coming from but I refuse to orient my writing around what Islamaphobes may or may not take away from it. As you said, their bias ensures they take away the worst possible version of what I or any writer means anyway.
Yes AND headlines matter. Nowhere in your piece is there any mention of radical or radicalization. Unfortunately, the sarcasm is lost on those who don’t have the time to click and read. I’m pointing out why it’s problematic not suggesting you change it. Finally, idk how anyone would take any meaning from your title other than that he WAS radicalized.
I wasn't being sarcastic. The policies he wants to implement *are* radical (in a good way), especially in the context of the current federal administration. And there is a direct link between his stance on most if not all his platform issues and how, where and who he was raised by.
Ahh, gotcha. My apologies. I was misinterpreting this. Yes, radical like Sanders NOT ISIS. 🙏🏼
Yes exactly! :)