Tearing Down Walls By cover art

Tearing Down Walls

By: SUNSHINE LIVE & Sylvia Cunningham
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  • Summary

  • 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.
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Episodes
  • The state of our democracies

    The state of our democracies
    Nov 27 2022
    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!
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    40 mins
  • This is Halloween

    This is Halloween
    Oct 30 2022
    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).
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    30 mins
  • Dance and democracy

    Dance and democracy
    Sep 25 2022
    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).
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    35 mins
Political Science Social Sciences
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