Tearing Down Walls

SUNSHINE LIVE & Sylvia Cunningham

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.

  1. 06/26/2022

    Celebrating one year of Tearing Down Walls

    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.

  2. 05/28/2022

    What is the future of abortion rights in the U.S. and Germany?

    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.

  3. 05/25/2022

    Introducing Tearing Down Walls

    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.

  4. 04/23/2022

    How do we build resilience amid crisis?

    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.

  5. 03/26/2022

    How are people in the U.S. and Germany responding to Russia’s war in Ukraine?

    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.

  6. 02/26/2022

    How was love put to the test during the pandemic?

    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.

  7. 01/29/2022

    What defines our identity?

    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.

  8. 11/26/2021

    How much do we really know about our colonial pasts?

    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.

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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    SUNSHINE LIVE & Sylvia Cunningham
  • Years Active
    2022
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Tearing Down Walls