Common Ground Berlin

Everyone has an opinion of BER, and many of them aren't kind: Passengers recently ranked it 19th of 20 airports in Germany, which suggests it still isn’t the airport of our dreams. In this episode, host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson spoke on Feb. 6, 2024 with urban planner Dieter Faulenbach da Costa, who first helped plan BER and later often criticized it. We also hear about the latest improvements in the works from BER spokesman Jan-Peter Haack, plus comments from passengers and our new segment – Geil or not so Geil!Produced by Dina Elsayed.

When we think of Franz Kafka, it’s usually about his books and short stories. But Kafka Band founder and Czech author Jaroslav Rudiš  and world renowned Irish composer Gerald Barry say the noise-averse author influences today’s music, too. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Senior Producer Dina Elsayed bring you their interviews that are part of the “Zeitgeister on Air” project, our joint collaboration with Goethe Institut.Produced by Dina Elsayed and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson.

Join host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and senior producer Dina Elsayed who interview TV personality and Kafka sleuth Kathi Diamant, in San Diego; National Library of Israel archivist Stefan Litt in Jerusalem, and figurative abstract artist Marianne Kolb in Sacramento on how Franz Kafka changed their lives and why the iconic author who died 100 years ago is still so relevant today. The interviews are part of the “Zeitgeister on Air” project, our joint collaboration with Goethe Institut.Produced by Dina Elsayed and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Senior Producer Dina Elsayed share key moments, personal insights and a look ahead as Common Ground Berlin kicks off its 2024 season. Featuring German Comedian Christian Schulte-Loh; Iranian-American Comedian and Actor Maz Jobrani; Renae Watchman, who is an indigenous studies professor and co-author of “Indianthusiam,” and the late US Ambassador to Germany John Kornblum, among others.Music: “A Thought” and “Gentle Chase” by Podington Bear. “Rodolfo’s Death” by Livio Amato.“Latin” by Crowander“Lemoncholy” by Tea K Pea"Nine Count" by Blue Dot Studios.Produced by Axel Scheele

What Gen-Zers think of the United States is definitely not how their parents and grandparents view Germany’s important ally. So can student exchange programs help improve transatlantic relations?    Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Senior Producer Dina Elsayed talk with the German Marshall Fund’s Gesine Weber and Niklas Ebert, as well as Knut Moeller of AJA, a Berlin-based, umbrella organization for long-term youth exchange programs in Germany, and with Christian Andersch of YFU – Germany. This episode is brought to you by Checkpoint Charlie Foundation and was produced by Axel Scheele.

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson interviews NPR icon and All Things Considered co-host Mary Louise Kelly as well as Kamal Nasir Hamyar, an Afghan journalist who was part of an on-air project the Germans helped create to ease Afghan mistrust of the West after the Taliban were ousted from power in Afghanistan in 2001.Produced by Dina Elsayed

Rents in “poor, but sexy” Berlin continue to skyrocket as the inventory of apartments remains low. But buying a home may not be the answer, either. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores whether the German capital’s housing crisis can be solved with Wibke Werner, director of the Berlin Tenants’ Association and Konstantin Kholodilin, senior researcher and housing expert at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.Produced by Dina Elsayed.

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson of Common Ground Berlin and Rachel Tausenfreund of the German Marshall Fund of the United States host a powerful and international conversation about the invasion of Gaza and its consequences with guests:Menachem Klein, a political scientist in Jerusalem and former advisor to the Israel-PLO final status talks.Palestinian-American journalist Hebh Jamal in Mannheim.Senior Policy Fellow Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Affairs in London. German journalist Hanno Hauenstein in Berlin.Recorded on Oct. 31, 2023.Produced by Dina Elsayed. 

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and her guests, AFP correspondent Deborah Cole and Comedian Josh Telson tackle a variety of topics including Berlin and U.S. political follies, climate protests and rising costs of beer.This episode was recorded live at Noisy Rooms on Oct. 14, 2023 and produced by Dina Elsayed.