Tearing Down Walls

This episode we focus on our democracy and what it means to take an active part in it. We explore moments that test our values and the variety of ways artists, writers, and activists engage with politics – including through slam poetry, on the soccer pitch, and on the dance floor. Host Sylvia Cunningham is joined by DJ and musician Sarah Farina to talk about their project “Politics of the Dance Floor,” how raving is a form of resistance, and the kind of worlds we should be working towards creating (01:04). Katha, one of the hosts of “Beats per Morning” on sunshine live, also stops by to talk about how she fell in love with electronic music as well as reflect on how Germans’ perception of the U.S. has changed over her lifetime (10:10). Theres Matthieß, assistant professor of Empirical Democracy Research at the University of Trier, breaks down the surprising findings of her research regarding coalition pledges and whether or not governments keep them (15:18). Dustin George-Miller, Managing Editor of Cartilage Free Captain, a blog for Tottenham Hotspur football fans, talks about wrestling with the decision to cover the controversial World Cup in Qatar and the issues he’s trying to spotlight (24:23). And Jaida Taveras, Connecticut's Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate, and Noah Klaus, slam poet and teacher, come together for a transatlantic conversation about the weaknesses of our political systems and the topics that drive their writing (29:52). Programming note (0:32): After 18 months of producing Tearing Down Walls, this will be Sylvia’s last episode as host for now. Sunshine live is committed to continuing the transatlantic dialogue, so stay tuned in 2023!

For this episode, we take a step away from politics and into pop culture. In honor of Halloween, we explore the evolution of the holiday on both sides of the Atlantic, what makes a great horror film, and why people find scary stories and true crime so intriguing. Host Sylvia Cunningham is joined by Jay Velasco, a DJ under the alias Midnight Boutique and the program director of our partner station WNHU (00:58); horror author and Halloween expert, Lisa Morton (05:45); Krümel and Suse, co-hosts of the German-language podcast “SchaurigSchön: Gruselstunde per Anhalter” (or “Pretty Scary: Horror Storyhour for Hitchhikers”) and Anna DiNino, host of “Crime Bistro,” a podcast exploring a variety of true crime cases (13:40); and Eli Lewy, the co-director of the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, which showcases works directed, written, or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers (19:38).

Did you see that video of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin partying last month? The clips of her dancing drew criticism from some and praise from others and raised questions about sexism and ageism in politics. In this month’s episode of Tearing Down Walls, we talk with a DJ, a German politician, and two dancers on both sides of the Atlantic about the double standards facing young women and why dance is vital for our societies. Host Sylvia Cunningham is joined by KILLA, a resident DJ with Lecken (01:03); Gyde Jensen , a member of the German Parliament from the Free Democratic Party (FDP) (09:04); Diana Thielen, a dance artist and movement activist in Berlin (18:55); and Stacy VanBlarcom, a breakdancer and arts educator in Buffalo, New York (18:55).

In this episode, we talk about inflation, the rising cost of living, and environmental justice. We hear from energy, climate, and financial experts about how the U.S. and Germany are trying to lift the burden on consumers while financing a sustainable future. Host Sylvia Cunningham speaks with Philippa Sigl-Glöckner, an economist and the managing director of a policy institute in Berlin called Dezernat Zukunft (06:08); Sven Egenter, the editor-in-chief of Clean Energy Wire (CLEW); Julie McNamara, the deputy policy director with the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (18:37); and Katharine Morris, a scholar-activist based in Connecticut and the founder of UConn Collaborative Organizing (UCCO) (30:45). Plus, for this month’s artist spotlight, DJ Hildegard from sunshine live’s "Hildegard meets music" takes us back to how she started DJing and shares her transatlantic connection (00:35).

In this episode, we bring you updates on two topics we’ve been covering these past few months: the war in Ukraine and abortion rights. Host Sylvia Cunningham speaks with Dr. Alicia Baier, the co-founder of Doctors for Choice Germany and an obstetrician in Berlin, and Dr. Aishat Olatunde, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Philadelphia and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. We also check in with University of New Haven professor and Ukrainian native Olena Lennon, who recently visited her home country. More than five months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion into Ukraine, what lessons have the U.S. and Germany learned? Plus, Berlin-based DJ Paula Koski joins us for our monthly artist spotlight to talk about how her DJing style is evolving and how she’s reflecting on Pride month this year.

Tearing Down Walls is celebrating its first anniversary since launching in June 2021! Join us as we “prost,” take a walk down memory lane, and revisit some of our favorite interviews from the first 11 episodes.

In this episode of Tearing Down Walls, we hear from abortion rights advocates on both sides of the Atlantic about the barriers people face when seeking abortions and if there’s any political will to change the current situation. Host Sylvia Cunningham talks with New Haven-based DJ and social worker Jen Orlando, also known as Jentlemen, who co-hosts the NEU/BODY radio show on our partner station WNHU. We also hear from Miriam Lenz, investigative reporter in Berlin for the non-profit, CORRECTIV, and Susan Campbell, a journalist and distinguished lecturer at the University of New Haven. Dr. Sarah Gutman, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Pennsylvania, shares what she’s thinking about in this time of uncertainty for doctors and abortion providers across the U.S. And we talk with American filmmaker Leah Galant, co-director of the award-winning documentary On the Divide, who is currently in Berlin on a Fulbright grant.

Tearing Down Walls connects a new generation across the Atlantic. Every month, Berlin-based host Sylvia Cunningham explores the issues impacting our lives in Germany and the United States. DJs, activists, and researchers come on the show to talk about the big topics — everything from identity and love to how we can build resilience amid crises. A monthly podcast in partnership with college radio station WNHU at the University of New Haven, Tearing Down Walls fosters a transatlantic dialogue to broaden our perspectives and learn more about each other.

Between the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and the climate crisis, it’s hard not to feel crushed by the weight of everything all at once. So in this episode of Tearing Down Walls, we’re talking about how we cope in these times – how crises affect us and how we might build resilience to get through them. Host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Ukrainian disco DJ Liubov, who fled from Odesa to Berlin in March, and we reconnect with a Ukrainian refugee whom we introduced you to last month. We also hear from the hosts of the "Climate Change and Happiness" podcast: Oregon-based clinical and environmental psychologist Thomas Doherty and Finland-based climate emotions researcher Panu Pihkala. And to better understand the impact of crises on children and youth, we talk with Julia Asbrand, child and youth psychotherapist and junior professor at the Humboldt University in Berlin and Melissa Whitson, a psychology professor at the University of New Haven.

It’s been over a month since Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, destroying cities and displacing millions of people. In this episode, we hear from some of those Ukrainians who fled their homes, as well as from people who are providing aid in Germany. Host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Ukrainian-born, Berlin-based DJ Yuriy Gurzhy about how he’s processing the news coming out of his homeland. Ukrainian refugee Natalia shares her story with the translation help of Svetlana Shaytanova, press speaker for Quarteera, an association of Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ people in Germany. Oliver Spatz, artistic director of the Kulturzug (Culture Train) explains how his organization pivoted from promoting culture to providing humanitarian aid. And Olena Lennon, professor at the University of New Haven, breaks down the U.S. reaction and the impact of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s rhetoric.

This month's show is all about love – across borders, cultures, and during the pandemic. Germans and Americans reflect on loving what they do, loving where they are, and what COVID-19 has meant for dating and romance. Host Sylvia Cunningham kicks off the conversation with DJ Dr. Motte, the father of the legendary Love Parade. We also hear reflections from Berlin-based American expat Miranda Siegel and from Munich-based American couple Julie Etheridge and Kevin Petrikas. Amy Nicole Baker, professor and assistant chair of psychology and sociology at the University of New Haven, tells us how COVID-19 is impacting the phenomenon of office romances. And Maximiliane Uhlich, postdoctoral researcher at Western University in Ontario, and Joanna Lemonnier, a trilingual therapist in Berlin, discuss the challenges of finding love and keeping things fresh in these stressful times.

On the seventh episode of Tearing Down Walls – and the first of the new year! – we reflect on identity and the places we call home. Host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Antoni Maiovvi, a UK-born, New Haven-based DJ who hosts NEU/BODY on our partner station WNHU; Donna Swarthout, editor of "A Place They Called Home: Reclaiming Citizenship. Stories of a New Jewish Return to Germany," and daughter Olivia Swarthout; and University of New Haven president Steven Kaplan.

November is Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. It’s also the month where millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, which has a far more complicated and bloodier history than we’re often taught. The same can be said about Germany and its colonial history. Educators and activists are pushing for more acknowledgment of the country’s colonial past – in the classroom, in museums and on the streets of Berlin. On the sixth episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham looks at colonialism on both sides of the Atlantic with Naita Hishoono, executive director of the Namibia Institute for Democracy; Renée Gokey, citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and teacher services coordinator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian; Jana Gottschalk, managing director of the education nonprofit Pen Paper Peace; Angelina Caroli, a sophomore studying criminal justice at the University of New Haven and member of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut; and Mnyaka Sururu Mboro, the co-founder of Berlin Postkolonial.

oung people in both Germany and the U.S. are demanding a shift from the status quo on climate change, housing and drug policies. What does progressive change look like in both places, and what can the two countries learn from each other? On the fifth episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Mike Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven; Rüdiger Schmolke, coordinator from SONAR, Safer Nightlife Berlin; housing activist Thomas McGath; Sven Egenter, editor-in-chief and executive director of the Clean Energy Wire (CLEW); and Liv Schroeder, Fridays for Future U.S. policy coordinator.

On Sunday, September 26, Germans head to the polls in a historic election. With Chancellor Angela Merkel not running for re-election, the race is wide open and due to the pandemic, much of it has played out online. When it comes to the spread of disinformation and the tone of political campaigns, how do Germany and the U.S. compare? On the fourth episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Madeline Brady, a program officer at Democracy Reporting International; Jan-Hinrik Schmidt, senior researcher for digital interactive media and political communication at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research; Flora Adamian, who is pursuing her masters in German & European studies at Georgetown University; Sarah Schmidt, a Berlin-based freelance journalist and fact checker at Lead Stories; and Chris Haynes, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Haven.

One thing is for certain: The pandemic hasn’t gone away. But with vaccines in both countries readily available, the odds are different. How are the U.S. and Germany tackling the next phase of the pandemic when it comes to travel, university life, and cultural offerings? Are we closer to getting our old freedoms back, or is there still no end in sight? On the third episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Erik Kirschbaum, a Berlin-based American journalist and executive director of the German-American exchange program RIAS; Savannah Papuga, a dental hygiene student at the University of New Haven; Jonathan Dreusch, a German student from fzs, an umbrella organization of student groups in Germany; Detlef Diederichsen, who heads the department of music and performing arts at Berlin's Haus der Kulturen der Welt; and Jessica Gelt, an arts and culture reporter for the LA Times.

Throughout Pride events in the U.S. and Germany across June and July, there were not only celebratory parades but also protests following an uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and discrimination. On the second episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham explores LGBTQ+ rights and movements on both sides of the Atlantic with guests who say there's still a long way to go on the road to equality and acceptance. We hear reporting by producer Monika Müller-Kroll from a local Berlin Pride parade; insight from Samuel Clowes Huneke, a historian of modern Germany and author of the forthcoming book, “States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany"; and a transatlantic discussion between Felicia Rolletschke, a Berlin-based trans activist, and Khaaliq Crowder, an alum from from the University of New Haven, home to our partner station WNHU.

Tearing Down Walls is a new monthly program out of Berlin aiming to connect and find understanding with a new generation across the Atlantic. Germany and the United States may be longtime allies, but polls in the last few years have revealed major cracks. A study released in May 2021 found that about a third of Germans believe that democracy in their country is threatened by influence from the U.S. But studies also show that young people in both countries are the most optimistic about the transatlantic relationship. On the premiere episode of Tearing Down Walls, host Sylvia Cunningham explores the bond between the two nations with three Fulbright recipients and alums: Alyssa Culp, an American Ph.D. candidate in Bavaria; Sophia Dasch, a German masters student who studied at Brown University; and Sascha Daniels, an American masters/Ph.D. student and communications and outreach office for Fulbright Noir, a platform that highlights the experiences of Black Fulbrighters.