KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

Democracy is too often discussed as though it were something's opposite, as though it were a single, monolithic thing. For the next two weeks, we're sampling a limited series from the BBC based on an intriguing concept. Robin Lustig visits 5 different countries that are all nominally democracies, but whose versions of democracy barely resemble each other. We begin with Looking for Democracy: Cambodia On this week's show we also hear a short documentary about Cambodian Landmines from UNICEF Radio Next week...we follow Looking For Democracy to the Ukraine to hear about life after the Orange Revolution.

This week we bring you two locally-produced documentaries and a story about Serbian Christmas traditions: "A Bosnian Christmas Carol" produced by Jonathan Groubert of Radio Netherlands. Jonathan (who you may remember from From Brooklyn to Banja Luka , which we aired earlier this year) follows his Bosnian in-laws up a mountain to take part in a Serbian Orthodox tradition. Much revelry and a heart-wrenching moment ensue. Next, our monthly Listening Lounge Producers' Meeting bears fruit! "Home Sweet Home" produced by Erin Christman, takes us through a landmark art exhibit created by members of the homeless community. "Tree Lot" produced by Ahndi Fridell and Amanda Cross. A sweet documentary about a long-running local Christmas tradition. Ahndi and Amanda explore the tree lot on Snelling and Selby in Saint Paul. Erin, Ahndi and Amanda are all dedicated KFAI volunteers. Want to know how you can volunteer?

Grey Ghost produced by Alan Coukell. A sensual audio portrait of New Zealander Rhys Buckingham's 24 year search for a rare, mysterious bird. Pictured here is the North Island Kokako , which differs from its long-lost South Island cousin mainly in the color of its "fleshy wattles" (blue instead of orange). A story about belief and the beauty of straining to hear. This documentary is one of our favorites from the Third Coast International Audio Festival where it won an award in 2002.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death (08 Dec 1980), Listening Lounge devotes this week's half-hour to "John Ono Lennon" a (((Hearing Voices))) Radio Special . The program features an audio essay by host Lynn Neary with plenty of tape from live Beatles performances and 1963-64 fanclub Christmas messages, and "All We Are Saying" by Barrett Golding - Lennon in his own words and music (interviews, albums, outtakes, antics and poetics) talks about peace, family, and art. Those of you who tuned in today (or are listening in the archives) will note the run-in that occurred with the ol' Marantz CD player. It seems to have a special dislike for Hearing Voices CDs. Thank goodness there were Balloon Hats to the rescue! We finished out the show with the "Balloon Hat Experience", produced by Scott Gurian

This week on the program: Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything . Like its scientific namesake – the radio program called the Theory of Everything attempts to unify it all: the news, conspiracy theory, fiction, story-telling, drama, and intimate telephone conversations. Every week Host Benjamen Walker explores our world that, today more than ever, seems both real and unreal. Listening Lounge scoured the archives and decided to air TOE's American Exceptionalism Over the half-hour, TOE's Chris Beck reports on a "recess appointment party", Howard Zinn tells us that American Exceptionalism is a Myth, Dennis Madalone sings us an exceptional new American Anthem - and Benjamen Walker checks out the right wing blogosphere and comes up EMPTY. Thanks to all the listeners who phoned in to the KFAI studio to offer their feedback on this program (largely positive but with some well-aimed criticism)!

Colombia: A traumatised nation from Radio Netherlands. Produced by Eric Beauchemin Colombia's civil war has been smoldering for four decades. Bombings, fighting and kidnappings are regular occurrences in many parts of the country. Over the past decade over three million people have been displaced by the fighting, more than 300,000 last year alone. These high levels of violence have traumatised nearly everyone in Colombia.

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