I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about New York politics. Or any politics, really. Between juggling my marketing deadlines, organising basketball fixtures, and pretending to have opinions about Zimbabwe’s de-dollarisation debate, I had promised myself a mental break. But then Zohran Mamdani went and became the mayor of New York City, and like any left-leaning romantic with too much Wi-Fi and not enough hope, I got pulled right back in.
This is the same Zohran Mamdani I wrote about a few weeks ago, back when he was just a long-shot candidate with a socialist streak, a funny name, and more rhythm in his past life as a rapper than most politicians have in their entire campaigns. Now he’s the mayor of the most capitalist city on Earth. The man’s name appears in the same sentences as “rent freeze,” “public grocery stores,” and “free buses.” If that isn’t the most poetic revenge socialism has ever pulled off, I don’t know what is.
When the Global Left Looked Down and Found a Pulse
It’s been a brutal time to be a socialist. And I don’t mean the kind of struggle where you forget your reusable bag at the supermarket and feel guilty about it. I mean watching the global left implode while pretending not to care. Britain’s Labour government is tanking in the polls faster than the Zambezi drops at the Victoria Falls. Germany’s Social Democrats are barely breathing. And the American Democrats? They’re too busy trying to convince people that “at least we’re not Trump” is a policy platform.
Meanwhile, this Ugandan-born, New York-based socialist just pulled off the kind of political miracle that makes you sit up and say, “Wait, are we allowed to win again?” A man who once made hip-hop beats is now setting the tone for the global left.
Mamdani didn’t just win an election. He reminded people what politics is supposed to sound like when it’s about humans, not headlines.
Bread Before Ideology
One of the most beautiful things about Mamdani’s campaign was how simple it was. He didn’t waste time preaching about democracy’s existential threats. He didn’t try to sound like a walking university lecture. He talked about rent, food, transport, and the cost of living. He looked people in the eye and said, “You shouldn’t have to sell a kidney to afford groceries.”
While American Democrats were stuck debating whether to fight Trump or fight inflation, Mamdani figured out that maybe he could do both by just fighting for the people who can’t make rent. And it worked. Because when your wallet’s empty, talk of democracy starts to sound like a luxury item.
It’s such a basic truth that it almost feels revolutionary again.
The Guy Smiles Too Much for a Socialist
The thing about Mamdani is that he’s relentlessly positive. Like, disarmingly positive. The kind of positive that makes you suspicious at first. But it’s genuine. He’s cheerful, articulate, and easy to like. He made socialism feel approachable, not like an angry club for people who quote Karl Marx at dinner parties.
Even when he disagreed with people on tough topics like Israel or corporate greed, he didn’t start fights. He had conversations. That’s something most of today’s leftists (and let’s be honest, most politicians) have forgotten how to do.
He made socialism sound less like a manifesto and more like a chat over coffee. That’s not weakness. That’s emotional intelligence, something you rarely find in politics or Twitter arguments.
What This Means for the Rest of Us in Victoria Falls
Now, you might be wondering why anyone in Victoria Falls should care about a New York mayor. But Mamdani’s story is bigger than geography. It’s proof that left-wing politics can still be about the people who actually need it.
In Zimbabwe, we’ve been lectured about “empowerment” for years. We’ve had policies that sound good in press releases but fall apart faster than our roads after a rainy season. Mamdani’s success reminds us that the point of politics isn’t just slogans or patriotic jingles. It’s about making ordinary life a bit less impossible.
He made socialism sound like it could work. Imagine that.
The Socialist Who Made Socialism Cool Again
For years, being a socialist was like being the weird cousin at the wedding who brings up economic inequality during toasts. It was something you admitted carefully, like a guilty pleasure. But Mamdani just went out there and owned it. He said billionaires shouldn’t exist. He said buses should be free. He said groceries should be affordable. And instead of running away, voters said, “Actually, that sounds pretty nice.”
He showed that maybe socialism isn’t the scary monster people made it out to be. Maybe it’s just common sense wrapped in empathy.
Belief, But Make It Complicated
I’ll be honest. I’ve been drifting. Writing about politics these days feels like trying to reason with a storm. The global left has been busy fighting itself, turning ideals into hashtags, and confusing performative outrage for progress.
But Zohran Mamdani’s win gave me a flicker of something I hadn’t felt in a while – belief. It reminded me that maybe the problem isn’t that people don’t care about socialist ideas. It’s that they stopped believing anyone could pull them off without turning into a meme.
He’s proof that competence and compassion aren’t opposites. And that maybe, being idealistic doesn’t mean being naive.
A Small Reflection from the Edge of the Zambezi
I’m still skeptical. I still think idealism should come with an instruction manual. But Mamdani has reminded me that change, even in small, unlikely ways, is still possible.
If a 32-year-old socialist from Uganda can convince the people of New York to give public grocery stores a chance, maybe there’s still hope for the rest of us.
Because somewhere between power cuts, political slogans, and endless “economic reforms,” I think we’ve forgotten how to dream. Mamdani’s win is a reminder that maybe, dreaming isn’t the problem. The problem is that we stopped taking dreamers seriously.
So yes, comrades, I’m still cynical. But I’m a hopeful kind of cynical now. And for me, that’s progress.