Les racines africaines du maire de New York selon l’ancien ministre sénégalais Abdoulaye Bathily
New York's new mayor, the anti-Trump Democrat Zohran Mamdani, is not only an American citizen. He is also a Ugandan citizen, having been born in Kampala 34 years ago. His solidarity with the Palestinian people stems largely from his parents' commitment to both the fight against apartheid and the cause of Palestine. What role did his father and mother, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Naïr, play in his current political choices? Abdoulaye Bathily is the special envoy for Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on international affairs. He has been friends with 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 was recently 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 political science department at the University of Dar es Salaam, and at the time, like many Ugandan intellectuals, he had taken refuge in Dar es Salaam to escape the dictatorship of Idi Amin Dada, who, with his xenophobic slogan, had expelled all Asians from Uganda. But he had also expelled all intellectuals, all opponents, both military and civilian. So the entire Ugandan elite ended up in Dar es Salaam. Yoweri Museveni, who was a student there, was also there. He would later form the National Resistance Movement against Idi Amin's dictatorship and recruit young Rwandan refugees like Paul Kagame. So we often met in public spaces after classes, after conferences, to discuss the future of the continent, the fight against apartheid, the fight against colonialism.
And you were all freedom fighters, against apartheid?
Against apartheid, which, it must be remembered, was supported at the time by Israel. And we will see how, in fact, young Zohran would later follow in his father's footsteps in this struggle to support Gaza, to support Palestine.
So, after the fall of Idi Amin Dada in 1979, Mahmood Mamdani was able to return to Uganda. And when Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair married and their child, Zohran, was born in 1991, the family was still in Uganda. The middle name the parents chose for their child was Kwame. Is that symbolic?
Mahmood Mamdani was an activist in the struggle for African independence, what we would call a Pan-Africanist today. While teaching in Uganda, he was regularly in Senegal because he was an active member of the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA). He often came to Dakar, and in 2007, he came here with his family, including his young son, Zohran. I remember they came to my house. Zohran himself grew up in this activist atmosphere. As his name suggests, Kwame is Kwame Nkrumah. But Zohran also wrote his doctoral thesis on Frantz Fanon and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
So really, he's 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 successful film that won awards everywhere. Is Mira Nair also a woman with political convictions?
Yes, she has strong political convictions. I've met her several times in Kampala, but also in New York, and they've come 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.
In 2018, Zohran Mamdani became a naturalized American citizen, yet he did not renounce his Ugandan citizenship. How do you interpret this?
Mahmood Mamdani, his father, is deeply attached to Uganda and Africa. So, this attachment to Africa isn't something artificial for them. And their Muslim faith is also an important factor. They are a couple of activists who gave birth to a committed activist for just causes.
And today, does Mahmood Mamdani continue to maintain relationships with African politicians other than yourself?
Yes, Mahmood continues to travel the continent. He's in contact with all our friends from 50 years ago. So he's an internationalist, Mahmood Mamdani. And Zohran was born into that atmosphere.
And is Mahmood Mamdani still in contact with Yoweri Museveni?
Yes, I think they are in contact, but perhaps their paths, at least from an ideological point of view, have diverged. Because unfortunately, we have seen that our former comrade and friend Museveni has been in power since 1986, and that is not to our liking.
Commentaires (10)
Un Témoin
A quand la retraite pour laisser la place aux jeunes. Vous avez été de tous les gouvernements depuis Wade.
Un idiot qui ne peut pas la fermer quand il n'a rien à dire. Quand les jeunes auront les compétences que ce vieux possèdent alors il leur cèdera la place naturellement alors allée chercher la connaissance au lieu de sortir des bêtises pareilles.
Merci professeur
So what? Qu'est-ce que ça va changer pour les africains ? Barack Obama n'est-il pas d'origine africaine ? Qu'est-ce que ça nous a apporté ?
Plus émotif qu'un sénégalais tu meurs.
Khana tu ne l'as pas ecouté durant la campagne?
Chez les développés c'est le talent, la compétence qui compte.
Ne a Kampala il y 34 ans.
Je l ai rencontré en 1979 a Dar er salam
Ou se trouve l erreur ?
Merci professeur
On s'en fout qu'il soit Indou, Boudiste, Musulman, Chrétien, athée, Ceddo... Il est Américain ! En quoi cela nous avance-t-il ? Il faut réfléchir et nous proposer des solutions. Voilà pourquoi on vous paie. Pour une fois qu'il parle, c'est pour nous raconter des histoires d'attardés complexés.
En tout cas quel talent et quel audace. Il faut écouter son message à Trump.
La vieillesse est un naufrage. Quand ona rien a dire, on radote.
Allez vous reposer et prier pour l’Avenir radius du Senegal.
Des details rekk!
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