181: Cynthia Cohen - Acting together on the World Stage

How do artists help communities survive violence, heal trauma, and imagine a future beyond conflict?In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.In this episode you’ll discover:• Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.• How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.• Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.PEOPLEHow do artists help communities survive violence, heal trauma, and imagine a future beyond conflict?In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.In this episode you’ll discover:Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.PEOPLECynthia Cohen — Peacebuilding scholar, educator, writer, and cultural worker whose research and field-building efforts have helped establish the international field of arts, culture, and conflict transformation.John O’Neal — Civil rights organizer, theater artist, and co-founder of the Free Southern Theater. O’Neal championed the role of arts and storytelling in advancing freedom, civic participation, and social justice.Dijana Milošević — Serbian theater director, peacebuilder, and founder of DAH Theatre, internationally recognized for using performance to confront war, nationalism, and social division.Roberta Levitow — Co-founder of Theatre Without Borders and a leading advocate for international theater collaboration, peacebuilding, and cultural exchange.John Paul Lederach — Influential peacebuilding theorist whose concepts of conflict transformation and “elicitive” practice have shaped reconciliation work worldwide.Jane Sapp — Musician, educator, and cultural worker whose community-based arts practice connects storytelling, history, civic engagement, and cultural memory.Ana Correa — Actor, activist, and longtime member of Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani whose work has focused on memory, human rights, and community healing in Peru.Ocean Vuong — Acclaimed poet and novelist whose work explores language, migration, identity, memory, and the dignity of lived experience.ORGANIZATIONSThe Charles F. Kettering Foundation — The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.Democracy and the Arts — The Kettering Foundation’s focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally.Theatre Without Borders — International network of theater artists and cultural workers committed to global collaboration, peacebuilding, and social change through performance.Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani — Peru’s renowned theater collective whose work combines indigenous traditions, political theater, ritual practice, and human rights advocacy.DAH Theatre — Belgrade-based theater company using artistic practice to confront violence, build dialogue, and foster civic engagement.Palestinian House of Friendship — Community-based organization in Nablus supporting young people through arts, education, cultural programs, recreation, and civic engagement.Free Southern Theater — Groundbreaking Civil Rights-era theater organization dedicated to bringing performance and cultural expression to underserved Black communities throughout the American South.ACTIVITIES &amp; EVENTSActing Together on the World Stage — International research, documentation, and convening project exploring how artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation, and conflict transformation.A Passion for Life: Palestinian and Jewish Women in Boston — Cynthia Cohen’s oral history and cultural exchange project bringing Palestinian and Jewish women together through storytelling, folk traditions, family histories, and artistic practice.Peru Truth and Reconciliation Commission — National truth commission established after Peru’s internal conflict. Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani collaborated alongside communities affected by violence and displacement.PUBLICATIONS &amp; MEDIAActing Together: Performance and the Creative Transformation of Conflict (Volume 1) — Landmark collection documenting artists, cultural workers, and peacebuilders using performance to address conflict and social division around the world.Acting Together on the World Stage (Film) — Documentary film featuring artists working in regions affected by violence, oppression, and conflict, highlighting the role of performance in healing and transformation.<a href="https://www.akeretfilms.com/someone-sang-for-me?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"...