181: Cynthia Cohen - Acting together on the World Stage

About this episode

Cynthia Cohen discusses the role of artists in helping communities navigate violence and heal through creativity and storytelling.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Cleveland

Guest: Cynthia Cohen

Topics covered

• art and activism
• peacebuilding
• community healing
• conflict transformation
• democratic life
• storytelling

Keywords

• violence
• trauma
• creativity
• storytelling
• peacebuilding
• democracy
• conflict
• healing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects

Places: Boston, Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland

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