The new Mayor of New York and anti-Trump Democrat, Zohran Mamdani, is not only an American citizen. He is also a Ugandan national since he was born in Kampala 34 years ago. His solidarity with the Palestinian people is deeply connected to his parents’ long-standing commitment — both against apartheid and in support of Palestine. What role did his father and mother, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair, play in shaping Nohran’s current political choices? Abdoulaye Bathily, the Special Envoy of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for International Affairs, has been a close friend of the Mamdani family for forty years. Speaking from Dakar, he shares his insights with Christophe Boisbouvier.
RFI: You are an old friend of Mahmood Mamdani, the father of Zohran Mamdani, who has just been elected in New York. Where did you meet Mahmood Mamdani?
Abdoulaye Bathily: I met Mahmood Mamdani in Dar es Salaam in 1979. He was a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Dar es Salaam, and at that time, like many Ugandan intellectuals, he was a refugee there, having fled Idi Amin Dada’s dictatorship. With his xenophobic slogan, Idi Amin had expelled all Asians from Uganda. But he had also driven out all the intellectuals and opponents, both military and civilian. So, the entire Ugandan elite found itself in Dar es Salaam. Among them was Yoweri Museveni, who was a student there, and who would later form the National Resistance Movement against Idi Amin’s dictatorship and recruit young Rwandan refugees like Paul Kagame. We often met in public spaces after classes or conferences to discuss the future of the continent — the fight against apartheid, the struggle against colonialism.
RFI: And you were all freedom fighters against apartheid?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Against apartheid, which was supported at the time, it should be remembered, by Israel. And we can see how, in fact, young Zohran would later follow in his father’s footsteps in the fight to support Gaza and Palestine.
RFI: So, after the fall of Idi Amin Dada in 1979, Mahmood Mamdani was able to return to Uganda. When Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair got married and their child Zohran was born in 1991, the small family was still in Uganda. The second name chosen for their son was Kwame. Is that symbolic?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Mahmood Mamdani is a militant in the struggle for Africa’s independence — what we now call a pan-Africanist. While he was teaching in Uganda, he often came to Senegal because he was an active member of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, CODESRIA. He came to Dakar frequently; in fact, in 2007, he came here with his family, with young Zohran. I remember — they came to my house. Zohran himself grew up in that activist atmosphere. As his name suggests — Kwame, as in Kwame Nkrumah. But Zohran also wrote his thesis on Frantz Fanon and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
RFI: So truly, he is his father’s son. When Zohran was born in Kampala in 1991, his mother, Mira Nair, was already a well-known figure, having released Salaam Bombay!, a hugely successful and award-winning film. Is Mira Nair also a woman of political convictions?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Yes, she has strong political convictions. I met her several times in Kampala, as well as in New York, and they also came here to Dakar. They visited Gorée Island with their son Zohran, and they are truly committed — to the causes of Africa, Asia, Palestine, and the progressive world in general.
RFI: In 2018, Zohran Mamdani became a naturalized U.S. citizen, yet he has not renounced his Ugandan nationality. How do you interpret that?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Mahmood Mamdani, his father, is deeply attached to Uganda and to Africa. That attachment to Africa is not something artificial for them. Their Muslim faith is also an important part of their identity. They are a couple of activists who gave birth to a son deeply engaged in the fight for just causes.
RFI: And today, does Mahmood Mamdani continue to maintain relationships with African political figures, aside from yourself?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Yes, Mahmood continues to travel across the continent. He is in contact with all our old friends from 50 years ago. Mahmood Mamdani is an internationalist — and Zohran was born into that environment.
RFI: And is Mahmood Mamdani still in touch with Yoweri Museveni?
Abdoulaye Bathily: Yes, I think they are still in contact, but perhaps their paths — at least in terms of ideas — have diverged. Unfortunately, we have seen that our former comrade and friend Museveni has now been in power since 1986, and that is not to our liking.
This interview was originally published in RFI on November 10, 2025, and titled “The African roots of New York’s mayor, according to former Senegalese minister Abdoulaye Bathily”.
Prof. Bathily, who is an Advisory Board member of NatureNews.Africa, was a special envoy of the United Nations Secretary General.
