{"id":8802,"date":"2019-03-11T13:12:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T12:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/?p=8802"},"modified":"2019-03-11T20:44:55","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T19:44:55","slug":"sunday-karaoke-the-heart-of-mauerpark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/2019\/03\/sunday-karaoke-the-heart-of-mauerpark\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday karaoke &#8211; the heart of Mauerpark"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PLo6BzPpLNY9-InRtz5uXItW9fIplPt4dn\" width=\"440\" height=\"260\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/code><\/p>\n<p>Mauerpark is not just a park. As a small reminder: it means \u201cWall Park\u201d and is where THE Wall used to be \u2013 with its barbed wire, watchtowers and armed guards with orders to shoot.<\/p>\n<p>But now, every Sunday, it is full of people from all over the world, including Berliners who have lived here all their lives and the newcomers who are proud to call it home. Mauerpark is unparalleled as a place that brings together people of all different kinds. We hear a lot these days \u2013 especially from the mouths of politicians \u2013 about the need for us all to live peaceably with one another. But what happens on a Sunday in Mauerpark is not just talk. It is a living, breathing example of the fact that this is actually possible \u2013 unscripted and spontaneous without any intervention from politicians.<\/p>\n<p>The Sunday karaoke sessions are the very heart of Mauerpark. Gareth, who started the whole thing 10 years ago and remains upbeat and cheerful in the face of obstacles, is eager to carry on. He encourages everyone to have a go. Making anyone feel excluded is simply out of the question. People of all ethnicities and backgrounds, young and old, with great musical talent or none at all \u2013 it doesn\u2019t matter: everyone gets a chance to be heard here. And the hordes of spectators are always generous and encouraging, willing people to do well. That creates a positive and uplifting atmosphere that restores your faith in humankind. An article in the New York Times calls karaoke in Mauerpark \u201cone of Berlin\u2019s most unforgettable experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that living peaceably with one another includes having consideration for the park\u2019s neighbours and complying with safety regulations. That is part of the job of the city\u2019s public agencies. But with all respect for their work, we mustn\u2019t forget that Berlin has become a world-class city. Once infamous for the Wall that divided it, it is now famous for its openness, unconventionality and creativity. And Mauerpark makes a unique contribution to that reputation. We must not allow ourselves to be bogged down in petty feuds. Let us make sure we continue to shine as an example of how people power can overcome anything \u2013 even the mother of all walls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mauerpark is not just a park. As a small reminder: it means \u201cWall Park\u201d and is where THE Wall used to be \u2013 with its barbed wire, watchtowers and armed guards with orders to shoot. But now, every Sunday, it is full of people from all over the world, including Berliners who have lived here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34,22,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-politics","category-video-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8802\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauerpark.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}