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”...

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”)...

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...

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...