Yellow Van Stories

Kommt bald!

Mykola Kondrashev is an award-winning cinematographer and photographer based in Kiyv who also holds a master's degree in psychology.With his experience on a wide array of projects including commercial music videos, feature films, and television series, Mykola has honed his skills to create captivating and powerful visuals.Mykola's impressive portfolio of projects spans the globe and he has worked with huge names like Coca-Cola, Radisson and Nescafé.Mykola's dedication to his craft is evident in all of his work, and we are excited to welcome him on board the Yellow Van to learn more about his journey as a cinematographer, how his daily routine has changed during the war and how the deep divide of war can split right through the middle of a family.And, as always, a lot more.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Mykola!Shortly after the recording of our episode, Mykola received mail from the army to be registered with them. As I am recording this, Mykola, like countless other Ukrainians is waiting for his marching order. It could come any moment of any day. Alex Kraev from Odessa, who you might remember from one of the previous episodes, has already been at the front for almost two months now. In one of his latest Facebook-Posts, he wrote: "I am not dead, I am learning." War becomes something else entirely when you know the people who are thrown into it.SHOW NOTESNyvky - a suburb of KyivV2 RocketsBuchaIrpinCossacksKhokholOseledetsKhmelnytsky UprisingTakflix, Ukrainian film streaming serviceWladiwostokSergei Loznitsa, Ukrainian directorMy Joy, film directed by Sergei LoznitsaLink to the episode with Alex KraevMykola OnlineMykola's Personal websiteMykola's FacebookMykola's InstagramDonationsCivilian: Psychological Association of UkraineMilitary: Eyes On Ukraine, Support for DronesLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftSupport the showYellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Gayane Arushanian is a multidisciplinary artist from Kyiv. She is the founder of the School of Experimental Art in Kyiv and the G-ART STUDIO in Zaporizhzhia.Gayané is not only an outstanding artist, but she also has a Master's in Urban Construction and Design and Economic Cybernetics from the Zaporizhzhia State Engineering Academy.Her mathematical knowledge and her artistic eye and love for colour enable her to create shapes, forms and colour patterns oscillating between harmony and chaos.She says:I have always believed that art was and is the source, the way, and the opportunity to be honest with myself and the world around me. Equilibrium is about finding the balance of the image of the world, the world within. Colour, shapes and composition are the only criteria of harmony for me. There is an ideal state of the world around - Chaos! And all of this is in the indefinite darkness that you and I reveal every day.Gayané was born in Armenia and had to flee her home when the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022 made a lot of those memories resurface.Today, we want to take a look at Gayané's very personal story of becoming an artist, the Ukrainian art world in a more general way and the challenges it faces because of the war. And a lot more, of course.It is a great pleasure and privilege to have her in the Yellow Van today!SHOW NOTESCyberneticsARC Gallery, ChicagoCity of KhersonCity of UmanFirst Nagorno-Karabakh WarKhmelnytsky UprisingFibonacci SequenceBerlin EnsembleGaia, Greek goddessGayane's InspirationYuryi Khymych (painter)Arkhyp Kuindzhi (painter)Vasyl Symonenko (poet)Myroslav Skoryk (composer)Sergei Parajanov (film director)Gayane OnlineGayane's Online Art Classes:www.airbnb.ru/experiences/1008843Gayane on Instagram:www.instagram.com/gaya_arushanianGayane's Website:www.gayanearushanian.comGayane on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayane-arushanian-702409abNew York Group Exhibition "Design On A Dime"MUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftSupport the showYellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Anastasiia Sanzharovska is a producer, director, and video editor from Ukraine. She originally studied system analysis and maths but turned to her real passion film soon after finishing her studies. She has been working as a producer, director, 1st AD, and video editor ever since. In February 2022, Anastasiia was in Egypt for a 3-week holiday but got stuck there due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She has been living there ever since.We'll talk about her early beginnings in filmmaking, why she chose film over maths, the Ukrainian TV scene, and her life in Egypt. And, as always, a lot more.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Anastasiia! Thanks for travelling with us.SHOW NOTESLinks to a selection of Anastassia's worksWhat Is Wrong With Me (Short Film) - DirectionZFeelZ Shame (Music Video) - 1st Assistant DirectorТизер ДВДС 2 (Short Movie) - 1st Assistant DirectorAnastasiia's Social Media ChannelsFacebookInstagramLinkedInSinai Media Club in Sharm El-SheikhInitiatives To SupportPrytula Foundation - Support for the Ukrainian ArmyCome Back Alive - Support for the Ukrainian ArmyNational Bank of Ukraine - Dedicated Account for the Humanitarian Assistance of Ukrainian CitizensMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftSupport the showYellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Today with us in the Yellow Van is Andriy Dubchak, a correspondent and photographer for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty as well as the founder of the interactive media platform Donbas Frontliner. He specializes in telling the stories of soldiers and civilians caught up in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He received a 2022 Free Media Award from the Fritt Ord and ZEIT foundations for his "courageous professional reporting from battle zones." Andriy also received a Lovie award for coverage of the Maidan protests in 2014 and a Gold Medal in the LifePressPhoto competition in 2020, and more. Andriy has captured the main pivot points of the younger Ukrainian history and I am thrilled that he has found the time to join us on the Yellow van today. I had the chance to speak to him after he had just returned from Bachmut, where heavy fighting is taking place.FOLLOW DONBAS FRONTLINERWebInstagramFacebookTwitterYouTubeTelegramSUPPORT DONBAS FRONTLINERPatreonMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftSupport the showYellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

With us in the Yellow Van this week are Dafna Rachok and Ivan Shmatko.Dafna Rachok is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research seeks to understand how vulnerable groups in Ukraine respond to existing HIV prevention and treatment programs and how their attitudes to the state shape their desire or reluctance to seek those programs. Ivan Shmatko is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Alberta (Canada). Ivan has been a part of the volunteer movement in Ukraine since February 24. He has done research on policing in Ukraine and the imaginaries that shape how police officers see their work and interact with others. His doctoral research project focuses on the experiences of newly mobilized soldiers in Ukraine. Being on leave from their universities in February 2022, they decided to stay in Ukraine when Russia assaulted their home. Rather than escape to safety across the Atlantic Ocean, they looked for ways and means to support their homeland and their fellow Ukrainians. Join us as we talk about their #volunteering work, the importance of humour in times of darkness and why Ukrainians collectively dislike Elon Musk.And, as always, a lot more. Thank you, Dafna and Ivan, for joining the Yellow Van.Your bravery and empathy are an inspiration.SHOW NOTESSociological group "RATING"International Red Cross and Red CrescentWorld Food ProgrammeLeonid KuchmaArticle by Dafna Rachok: On Trust, Transparency, and Learning from the Experience of the ExtraordinaryArticle by Ivan Shmatko: A Voracious Beast - Emotional Energy in the Tsunami of SufferingDONATIONSCome Back AliveHospitaliersFOLLOW DAFNA AND IVANDafna's TwitterDafna's LinkedInIvan's TwitterIvan's FacebookMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftSupport the showYellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Nick Torzhevsky is a film director and producer from Kyiv with over 10 years of experience directing and producing broadcast TV series, commercials, and feature films.Nick's latest project, Ukraine Rebirth, is putting a focus on the rebuilding of Ukraine after the war - something that struck me as extraordinary as the war is still raging on without an end in sight. On the website of Ukraine Rebirth, the project is introduced as follows:"Our main message within the series, as seen from the title, is to show rebirth. Everyone has fallen, and it takes heart and strength to get up and keep going. Ukraine is very strong, and now this is noticed by the whole world. Ukrainians are brave, fierce, united and valiant, but also kind, passionate, full of love and hope. In the face of the enemy, we don't just prepare for the last stand, we prepare to win and then to rebuild our country, to rise from the ashes, better and stronger than before.We want to capture this spirit which helps Ukrainians keep going and to share it with the world, so that this hope and passion will blossom in the hearts of every viewer around the globe."How exactly the idea for the project was born and how Nick is feeding his seemingly inexhaustible optimism is something we will be discussing in today's show. And, as always, a lot more.SHOW NOTESFind Nick HereUkraine RebirthInstagramFacebookUkraine Rebirth CollaboratorsLGBTQI+ StoryStanislav Morozov (director)Stanislav Medvedev (screenwriter)Olexiy Gladushevskyi (creative producer)Evgeniy Usanov (director of photography)Kyiv StoryNataliya Torzhevska (screenwriter)Stanislav Savchenko (director of photography)Cherson StoryJulia Tribrat (director)Lana Iermakova (screenwriter)Support the Kickstarter Campaign herehttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ukrainerebirthlgbtq/ukraine-rebirth-lgbtqMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

Alex Kraev is a musical multi-talent who gave his soul to punk rock. He plays the drums, bass, and guitar in multiple bands and is an absolute musical powerhouse. His influences are many, but his goal is one and the same: to challenge stereotypes and self-imposed laziness of body and mind. His music is loud and gets under your skin. Challenging riffs, vocal cascades, energetic rhythms and climactic melodies tear you out of your comfort zone, sharpen your senses and abduct your body before they spit you out on the cold, ashen, concrete ground of human construction - only to find yourself naked, lusting for more. No more comfort, only raw emotion. Thank you very much!Punk, in its conception, has always been about protest and societal unrest, a mirror to the polished, self-righteous facade of civil society and, therefore, at the root of democracy - at least, according to me. Sid Vicious, the godfather of punk, said this once: "Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don't let them take you ALIVE." How this translates to the war in Ukraine and the simultaneous democratic process, I will discuss with Alex today! I am so happy to have you on board! SHOW NOTESSid ViciousSex PistolsOdessa Grain ShipmentsKalush OrkestraThe OffspringBlack FlyNoFX Bad ReligionGreendaySimple PlanYellowcardRadio HavannaBlack FlagBezladALEX' FACEBOOKhttps://www.facebook.com/LeXXKraevALEX' MUSIC & BANDSВІДСІЧFLAMERAGTAGCONCRETE CONTROLREDEMPTIONДело ДряньALEX NEXT SHOWMore Music ClubDONATIONSAlex' Volunteer OrgTheir FacebookMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

Oleksiy Martsenyuk is the Executive Director of the Center for Defence Strategies in Kiyv, an organisation that helps to monitor defence reforms and develop key government policies that will affect the country's security and defence sector. This certainly needs a little more explanation from you, Oleksiy! And we will get into that in the course of the podcast. Also, he served as a Civilian Deputy Minister in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence for just under a year. Originally, Oleksiy has a business background though. And because of this, Oleksiy's and my relationship actually goes way back. When I studied photography in Gent, Belgium, at the end of my first year all students had to choose a topic and project outside the curriculum, entirely self-sufficient and motivated by our own interests. This is now almost 18 years ago. As a foreigner myself, I chose the topic of migration and opted to take black and white portraits of people far away from home in Belgium. I put it all in book form, presenting them on a double page with their portrait in black and white on one page and the most cherished and valuable photo they brought with them in colour on the other.  Oleksiy was introduced to me by my dear friend Apoorva, studying with him at the time. A big shoutout and a big hug to you, Apu, who I don't see or hear nearly often enough! I remember the portrait of Oleksiy still so well after all these years. Standing in his rather modest and empty student cave, but with a big, bright Ukrainian flag on his wall. Leaning in, curiously observing me with a gentle smile while I was trying to create something lasting with the little that I knew at the time. But, in a way, I have; by having him with me today - 18 years after that photo was taken. I am so happy and grateful to have you with us today, Oleksiy, after all this time!SHOW NOTESNew York Times, The Bodies Lay Dead in the StreetBBC News, Bucha KillingsVOX News, Ukraine KidnappingsDeutsche Welle, Russia Uses Kidnappings to Intimidate UkrainiansGolda MeirWeimar RepublicFriedrich EbertPhilipp ScheidemannThe Ebert-Groener PactSinking of the MoskwaBayraktar DroneHIMARSNord Stream 2Rheinmetall builds military training centerThe Orphanage, Serhiy ZhadanKamil Galeev (@kamilkazani), Twitter ThreadMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProduSupport the show

Anna Pykhtina is a communication and PR expert from Kyiv, Ukraine, focusing on Ukrainian NGO work and civic education, currently living in Warsaw, Poland. After the outbreak of the war, Anna and her boyfriend fled Ukraine to Poland, where they are currently living with friends. Anna was the president of AEGEE-Kyiv, Europe's biggest interdisciplinary student organization. She has been travelling extensively in Europe and is, I think it is safe to say, a strong proponent of the European idea. Additionally, she worked for the Free Russia Foundation, which supports civic society and democratic development in Russia, for almost two years and has, therefore, many Russian acquaintances and friends. Anna's work and experience are exceptional and I couldn't be happier to have her on board the Yellow Van today to hear her opinions and perspectives on a variety of topics.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Anna!SHOW NOTESAnna's Reading ListINITIATIVES TO SUPPORTNGO "Girls"USCDTimothy D. Snyder, American historianEurotrip, USA 2004, Jeff SchafferFree Russia FoundationTango of Death, Yuriy Vynnychuk Tiger Trappers, Ivan BahriyanyiMaria Berlinska, Ukrainian film producerMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

Oleksii Isakov holds a Master in Intercultural Communication Studies and a Bachelor in Linguistics and Translation Studies. His main focus is literature and film. He was born in Odesa and has been living in Germany for the last ten years working at the European-University Viadrina in Frankfurt a.d. Oder - the only university in Germany with a professorship for Ukrainian History, which says a lot about Ukraine's perception in Germany - and throughout the world. In preparation for our conversation today, Oleksii and I had a short Zoom call a few days ago to get to know each other. Oleksii was recommended to me as a guest on the show by Bastian Bielig, a friend of mine, and we had never met each other before. When I finally stumbled over his academic career in more detail, I was even more impressed than I had already been just by casually talking to him. With all this in my mind, I am extremely grateful for him to take the time and be here with me in the Yellow Van today - and also a tiny little bit nervous because I feel slightly underqualified.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Oleksii!PHOTOcourtesy of © Heide FestSHOW NOTES"Winter On Fire", Ukraine 2015, Evgeny AfineevskyMaidan UprisingKazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painterArtem Volokitin, Ukrainian painter"Shadow Of Forgotten Ancestors", Ukraine 1965, Sergei ParajanovTaras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and writerLina Kostenko, Ukrainian poet, writer and journalistSerhiy Zhadan, Ukrainian poet and writerValerian Pidmohylny, Ukrainian writer and dissidentAlexander Dovzhenko, Ukrainian filmmakerIMDb List of 100 Best Ukrainian FilmsMykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Ukrainian authorTakflix"Klondike", Ukraine 2022, Maryna Er Gorbach"Servant Of The People", Ukraine 2015-2019Myroslav Skoryk, Ukrainian composerKalush Orchestra, Ukrainian rap groupINITIATIVES TO SUPPORTViadrina Emergency FundNational Bank of UkraineMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

In our first episode of the new season, our guest is film director, screenwriter, and creative producer Mariia Ponomarova (1991, Kyiv). Mariia studied film directing and screenwriting at Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema & Television in Ukraine graduating cum laude in 2013. Focusing on character development in film during her course,  Mariia graduated from the Master of Film artistic research program in 2016at the Netherlands Film Academy. Short fiction and documentary films written and directed by Mariia were screened at such festivals as Sarajevo FF, Vancouver IFF, VIS Vienna Shorts, Netherlands FF,  Odesa IFF, CineDOC-Tbilisi, Go Short ISFF, ArtDocfest, Molodist IFF, and others. Mariia's first producer's documentary project 'Fragile Memory' was a part of the Ex-Oriente Film workshop and received pitching prizes at Odesa IFF Film Industry 2018 & 2019, and East Doc Platform 2019. Mariia's directing debut documentary feature 'Nice Ladies' received a B2Bdoc Pithing Award at Producers Meet Producers. Mariia's works capture the rich cultural heritage of Ukraine, and, like a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble, she reveals the essence of Ukrainian identity, always present, but invisible to the untrained eye. She lives and works in Amsterdam visiting Ukraine for her film projects on a regular basis. And today she is with us in the Yellow Van and I couldn't be happier that she could find the time.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Mariia!MARIIA'S WORKSponomarova.comArdeaMay 9thFamily HourFragile MemoryNice LadiesTOPICSThe Fall Of Lenin, Ukraine 2017, Svitlana ShimkoOlia Hercules, Ukrainian-British cookbook authorDziga Vertov, Ukrainian director & camermanEverything Is Illuminated, USA 2005, written and directed by Liev SchreiberKilling Eve, TV Series, 2008-2012The Gulag Archipelago, Soviet Union 1973, Alexandr SolzhenitsynWhat We Got Wrong About Solzhenitsyn, 2022, Essay by Blake SmithSvetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and authorNikolai AmosovOn Photography, USA 1977, Susan SontagTakflixINITIATIVES TO SUPPORTDocu HelpCome Back Alive Foundation100 Drones OrganisationMUSICLove In The Face Of Fear, Jim KroftYellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

Fonsi, the Yellow Van,  is ready to depart for another season.Find out what the season is all about in this trailer.Music: Jim Kroft "Love In The Face Of Fear"Yellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show

Today we come to you with the, for now, last episode about Myanmar. The initiative Print For Crisis, which has been on the road with us for the last four weeks, has come to an end and we thought it would be a nice opportunity to have a small retrospective of the conversations we were lucky enough to have in support of the initiative. Through my conversations with Teza, Chiara, and Minn, I learned that there are a lot of reasons for hope and optimism for the future of Myanmar. One reason in particular is the role of the Burmese women, who are not only fighting for political freedom but for a society built on equality. Their blossoming self-esteem is a weapon and there is no turning back of the clock.If we continue to support Myanmar, change will come sooner rather than later.This isn't my optimism, it is the optimism of the Burmese people._________SHOW NOTESPrint For Crisis WebsitePrint For Crisis FacebookPrint For Crisis InstagramI Support MyanmarTeza on FacebookMinn on LinkedInChiara's WebsiteChiara on Instagram"How Democracies Die", Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, 2018"Coup D'Etat: A Practical Handbook", Edward Luttwak, 1968History Of MyanmarThuma CollectiveYangon Photo FestivalLensational (a collaboration for free photography education for women)"Disclosure", Netflix, 2020History Of MyanmarGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Mind the BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Teza Soe is a Burmese visual storyteller with a doctorate in photography, who received her PhD with a project focusing on the role of women in Myanmar society. After reading the preface to her thesis, I felt that it would be a much better introduction than I could ever hope to craft for her. So, just this one time, I took the liberty of copying her own words, rather than write an introduction myself:I left my country, Myanmar, when I was 16 to attend a university in Thailand. The reasons for me to leave home, a familiar environment, at such a young age to study abroad did not come easy. I vividly remember getting into the biggest argument ever with my parents just after the matriculation examination results came out. I still remember my total score was 2 points short of the cut off point for the University of Medicinethat year for women. That year the Ministry of Education had decided to raise the entry requirements for girls and reduce the requirement for boys because they felt that there had been too many women and not enough men in the country's most pivoted profession. Up until that point, all my life I was told that the best thing I could achieve or the best profession I could get into as a woman in Myanmar, is the medical profession.In that moment, I felt like my whole world had ended as if everything I had worked for the past 11 years counted for nothing. And then I learned that my friend who got a lower score than I did could apply for the medical school, although his total score was 15 points lower than mine, just because the requirements are set much lower for boys. That was the first time in my life I felt so angry for being born as a woman. It wasn't that I had failed; it wasn't that I didn't try hard enough; my only shortcoming was being a woman. We will be talking about the historic role of women in Myanmar, why women are at the forefront of the democratic movement, and why female revolutionary leaders are a reason for hope.__________In the face of the current Burmese struggle, please support the initiative Print For Crisis, founded by my friends Chiara Luxardo and Olga Stefatou:https://www.printforcrisis.org/On their website, 80 photographers offer their limited edition fine art prints for a very affordable price. All net proceeds from the sales go to journalists, photographers, and artists in Myanmar. Print For Crisis will last another two weeks and prints are selling fast.Choose from the works of amazing photographers like Chris Steele-Perkins, John Vink, and Nikos Economopoulos - just to name a few. Go get yours now and catch me if you can.__________SHOW NOTESPrint For Crisis WebsitePrint For Crisis FacebookPrint For Crisis InstagramI Support MyanmarTeza on FacebookThuma CollectiveYangon Photo FestivalLensational (a collaboration for free photography education for women)"Disclosure", Netflix, 2020History Of MyanmarGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Mind the BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Minn Tent Bo is a Burmese human rights consultant, author, and independent election observer who provides political, conflict and legal analysis, programme support and strategic advice to local civil society organisations, international non-governmental organisations and multilateral organisations.He has been on Election Expert Missions to various countries in his function as a programme officer for the Carter Center and as an independent advisor to the EU.Minn is a consultant to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and an educator against Gender Based Violence.Minn lives in London since 2018 and is a freshly baked dad with a wonderful daughter of eight months old.Why he got into the field of human rights in the first place, the reasons for his strong disposition for democracy we will talk about today.And who better to give us an analysis of the current situation in Myanmar and to talk about the vulnerability of something which is taken for granted by the ones who have it, yearned and fought for by the ones who don't: democracy.SHOW NOTESPrint For Crisis WebsitePrint For Crisis FacebookPrint For Crisis InstagramMinn on LinkedIn"How Democracies Die", Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, 2018"Coup D'Etat: A Practical Handbook", Edward Luttwak, 1968History Of MyanmarGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Mind the BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Chiara is an Italian visual storyteller based in the UK in London. In her work she explores identities, relationships and gender issues.She is an active member of Women Photograph, a non-profit launched in 2017 to elevate the voices of women* and nonbinary visual journalists. The roots for her interest in identity and the power of relationships can be traced back to a farm near Milan, I believe, where Chiara grew up. It is a place that has been in her family's hands for many generations and her love for the place finds expression in her ongoing project Family Farm.The Family Farm is an examination of the visual residue of previous generations in the form of old pictures, juxtaposing the findings with new original visual concepts and, thereby, galvanizing a new interpretive, dialectic space that speaks of history as a living process - never complete in its evaluation and heavily dependent on the viewer's current perspective and emotional state. History, after all, is narrated.Chiara lived and worked in Myanmar from 2015 to 2019, where she focused on LGBTQI+ projects and the organization of Yangon Pride.In her project Burma Love, Chiara places gay couples in front of romantic studio backgrounds, heavily borrowing from the aesthetics of Burmese wedding photos, expressing the yearning of gay couples to be accepted into the common standards and rituals of society to be regarded, ultimately, as equals amongst equals. Her love for Myanmar is still very strong. In the light of the current democratic uprising against the military junta with rising death tolls every day, Chiara and her friend Olga Stefatou, whom you might already know from a previous episode of the Yellow Van, launched the initiative Print For Crisis.We at Mind the Bump want to support this great idea as much as we can. In this episode, therefore, we want to focus on what it is that made Chiara fall in love with Myanmar, why we should care about what is happening there at the moment, and how help can be as simple as hanging a beautiful photo up on your wall.SHOW NOTESPrint For Crisis WebsitePrint For Crisis FacebookPrint For Crisis InstagramChiara's WebsiteChiara on InstagramMyanmarYangonAung San Suu KyiGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Mind the BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Claudia is a camera assistant from Munich in Germany. And, above all, my "baby" sister.For close to ten years now, she has been honing her craft in film and cinema, steadily rising up in the camera ranks. Her passion and joy are absolutely infectious, despite the obvious stigma of this particular adjective of late.She has been a part of many big German film and TV productions, working with some of the finest German actors, directors, and camera operators.I am extremely proud of her and I couldn't be happier to have her on board today to discuss with her the challenges cinema is facing during a pandemic and what it is like to be a woman in a still largely male dominated field.Welcome to the Yellow Van, Claudi! SHOW NOTESClaudia's MusicClaudia on Crew UnitedKäptn Peng (in German)Fabian Gamper, Camera OperatorOrson WellesAni DiFrancoThe Late Late Show with James CordenMinnie DriverMinnie Questions, PodcastRutger BregmanUtopia for Realists, 2018, Rutger BregmanSupergrassRoad To RouenMind The BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Erik is an author, publisher, moderator and podcast host from Berlin, Germany. He has published an impressive amount of work, ranging from travel guides, travel books, short story anthologies to magazine articles and more. He is also the founder of Weltwach (which roughly translates to world awake), a German online magazine for adventure and travel topics. The related podcast, hosted and produced by Erik, already has produced 188 episodes and counting.Since last year, the Weltwach podcast produces an English offshoot called Unfolding Maps. The impressive guest list includes Laura Dekker, the youngest person to ever sail around the world solo, the endurance artist “Iceman” Wim Hof, and, one of my personal role models, National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry.Especially beautiful to me is the book series How We See It, which is an anthology of short stories focusing on a particular country by offering the perspectives of the many. Each voice is acting as a building block emphasizing cultural abundance. Kind of like the mathematical letter PI that offers more accuracy with every single digit behind the comma, attempting the impossibility of squaring the circle. Just like it, culture needs many voices to be representative. Erik's books make that very clear to me. Originally, Erik studied International Marketing and Business Management in the Netherlands, Hongkong and Great Britain. If he would have studied travel, if that had been a viable study course option at university, or if his cultural thirst was acquired through his higher education, we will discuss in today's episode  - and, as always, a lot more.SHOW NOTESWeltwach German PodcastWeltwach on InstagramWeltwach on FacebookUnfolding Maps English PodcastUnfolding Maps on InstagramUnfolding Maps on FacebookList of Erik's booksThe One & Only Jim KroftPeter Willers, Defusing mines in CambodiaKhmer RougeChristine ThürmerEric AdamsManowarHans Rosling on Population Growth, TEDxMassaiJared DiamondGuns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond, 1997Upheaval, Jared Diamond, 2019Japanese Meiji eraMatthew C. PerryHelge TimmerbergSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

George is an author, a radio DJ and presenter, a musician, photographer and filmmaker. But above all he is a traveller, exploring the shared essence that makes us all human. His thirst for the world and its people is hard to quench and the moments of connection and mutual exchange always leave him wanting more.No wonder then that he turned to photography and its scientific promise of turning ethereal visual impressions into lasting memory, making good on one of mankind's oldest dreams.Here is what George has to say about this himself, better than I ever could:“Photography was a one-night-stand for me. Perhaps something you try just to get a kick of awesomeness right after a break up rips your world apart. Herberts were soon replaced by shutter clicks and as life would have it, what was meant as a fleeting encounter turned into love at first sight. From street photography in Barcelona, to festivals in Asia, to voluntary humanitarian missions in Africa, my lenses have been my eyes and my camera my best travel companion ever since.I've never considered myself much of an artist. Some people like fishing, other love hunting - I belong to the group of folks who are dazzled, inspired and driven by photography's ability to change the world. To stop age at 20. To keep a smile resonant and beautiful forever. To preserve a feeling or an emotion until it's thawed and relived once more by the warmth of a familiar gaze. To inspire travel, induce exploration and shape public opinion.”George has written a book about his travel experiences called “Stories From The Road” in which he recounts impressions from all parts of the world.Vicky and I have recently been invited to his weekly radio show “Off The Beaten Track” and the music he played on air was a celebration of diverse cultural origins, taking us with him off the beaten track, putting us in touch with the abundance of human creation.It painted the picture of a man free of boundaries or preconceptions. Of a man believing in the beauty of all humanity. What better guest for a yellow camper van traveling the world?SHOW NOTESGeorge's Photography WebsiteFollow  The Mini DiariesEvery Tuesday, tune in with George on Radio Nowhere Read George's book: 8+5=13 Stories From The RoadAlec Issigonis - The Austin MINI designerAustin MINIPygmy PeoplesKonstantinos Kavafis"Ithaka", 1975, by Konstantinos KavafisGora, musical instrumentSona JobartehLucky DubeAli Farka TouréMusic of MaliGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Mind The BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Xiao graduated in 2005 with honors in chemistry from Caltech and subsequently worked as a research technician at the Broad Institute of Harvard/MIT and has an MD-PhD from the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Memorial Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program in New York City. At the moment, she is finishing up her 4th clinical year at Johns Hopkins University as a combined paediatrics-medical genetics resident. She is going to stay there for a 5th year as a research fellow and genetics chief resident starting in July this year.As Xiao has an unparalleled thirst for knowledge (and my guess is that she gets easily bored) she also works with a group at the university of Freiburg in Germany on the genetics and genomics of inborn errors of immunity.Now, Xiao isn't anyone for name or title dropping, but all of this information is necessary, I believe, to understand that some of the areas we will be covering today are in the hands of an absolute expert - even though Xiao will most probably strongly disagree with me on that.As if all of this weren't enough, Xiao and her boyfriend Nicolas have started a wine distribution company - one of Xiao's great passions in life: wine and the art of wine production. Following this passion, she met my brother, a winemaker himself, and, ultimately, me. Therefore, we can safely claim that our friendship is a by-product of grapes, matured over time and getting better with the years.The few hours a week she has for recreation, she usually fills with learning something new: like knitting, learning German (God knows why) or pottery - just to name a few. When being with her I feel positively challenged, occasionally stupid, always serving my greater understanding that life is a journey of discovery and learning, with no goal but to grow in the present moment. SHOW NOTESXiao on FacebookJoe Rogan"The Man Without Qualities", Robert Musil, 1930-1942Alexander von HumboldtJohann Wolfgang von GoetheChampagneJoaquin CortezMartin Luther KingPhylloxeraSubsistence AgricultureFrank Cornelissen, Winemaker on SicilyYeastJohn Oliver on HBODNA VaccineRNA VaccineVictor McKusickJohns Hopkins UniversityNeill de Grasse Tyson and Stephen Colbert, The Late Show, 2018EnLefko Radio, GreeceKanenas Red WineHeinrich Vollmer VineyardGet Jim Kroft's Song, "Love In The Face Of Fear" Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Shelter and housing is taken for granted for most of us. And when we speak of lockdown we generally think of it as an isolation within our own very comfortable four walls. But what about our fellow humans who are not fortunate enough to have a place of their own, who don't have this very basic need covered? How does the pandemic beat down on their already unimaginably harsh reality? Going through a second and third lockdown, it is worth remembering that there are others less fortunate than us - regardless of our own very real challenges. For this reason, we have invited Steps, a non-profit initiative that deals with street connected people in Athens. They take action through street embrace, housing, legal aid and the feeling of belonging in order to support people that experience social exclusion.Only a few days ago STEPS have been awarded the Civil Solidarity Prize from the European Economic and Social Committee for initiatives showing outstanding solidarity during the covid-19 pandemic! Well deserved STEPS, congratulations!But for them to continue their invaluable work they need our support. So please support them in any way that you can: with a donation, as a volunteer or by simply spreading the word. You will find all their relevant links in the show notes below.Or how Katerina, one of the members we were fortunate enough to speak to, puts it: "When you relate, you begin to care and when you care, you take action." So with this episode today we hope that it will be easier to relate to the many people without shelter during this critical time.Thank you all. SHOW NOTESWebsite: https://steps.org.gr/en/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StepsGreece/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stepsgreece/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Oska Melina Borcherding is a director, actor, dancer and musician from the beautiful city of Berlin.I got to know Oska during the Ierapetra Film Festival on Crete in Greece, where he was running with his short film “Giagia” (which is Greek for “grandmother”). It is a beautiful film about the days following the death of his Greek grandmother and how her legacy and memory is preserved in the stories shared by her family and by the characters she helped shape. He is planning a sequel to the film which I am very much looking forward to.Ever since then, Oska has been in numerous theatre plays and in various German TV films and series. Right now, he is writing a play about vampires after he has come out of the casket after hiding his true identity for 252 years.Oska has has made it his mission to educate the world about the many misconceptions humans have about vampires. Whether they are getting better through the worldwide pandemic and what the worst stereotypes around vampires are, we will explore in today's show.And, most importantly, we we will discuss how through art we can develop a better understanding of diversity - perceiving it as abundance rather than limitation.SHOW NOTESOska on InstagramOska on Facebook"Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man", Emanuel Acho"Desintegriert Euch", Max Czollek, 2020"What We Do In The Shadows", Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi, 2014Get Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear"Mind The BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Erik Penny is a US songwriter, musician and painter who has been living in Berlin for more than 12 years.Erik grew up in El Paso, Texas, where he started his musical career as a bassist at the age of 16. A while later he started a course in painting which he aborted shortly before graduating to go on tour with his band. This success of the tour led to his decision to go to Los Angeles. Here he recorded several EPs and two studio albums - "Footprints" and "The Linger Kiss". After various visits to Germany, Erik decided to move there for good in 2008. Within a short period of time he made strong connections in the local music scene.Erik's wonderful album "Bend", published in 2010, written and conceived entirely in Berlin, is a collaboration between many, talented people that comprise the artistic and social hub of this wonderful city, resulting in a flavorful piece of art. Many tours and support tours followed. It is home to one of my favourite songs "Cherry".After publishing "Live at The Sofa Sessions" in 2011, Erik withdrew from the music scene for 2 years and only returned to the stage in 2013 and played, amongst others, four opening concerts for Joe Cocker.His album "Heart Bleed Out" came out in 2014 on the Blackbird Music Label, that was produced by Erik himself for the first time together with David Green.Just recently his new single "The River" was published, a song with a hymnal depth that is juxtaposing a refreshingly positive melody with sinister lyrics. A great song for a world grappling with a pandemic looking for hope. Erik and I have an overlapping circle of friends and I have been aware of Erik and his work for many years. And nonetheless, for reasons unknown, we never really shared a longer conversation together. During the second lockdown, when Erik started a painting project on IG and he used one of my images as a reference for a painting, I was so overwhelmed by his art and his positive attitude that I thought: "Boy, have I missed out!SHOW NOTESErik's WebsiteErik's InstagramErik's Facebook"Hamilton", Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda"A Path We Share", Music Video by Erik PennyAlexandria Ocasio-CortezHistory of the Cowboy Boot"High Fidelity", 2000, film by Stephen FrearsHistory Of The XXth Century, Podcast by Mark PainterFlula BorgMorisseyTrevor NoahStephen ColbertJimmy KimmelJimmy FallonGerman Störtebecker beerTexas Margarita, recipe off www.marthastewart.comGet Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear"Mind The BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Thomas Hinterberger is a solo ballet dancer at the Opera National Du Rhin (ONDR) in Mulhouse, France. He got his diploma in ballet dancing from the Academy For Dance and Music in Munich, Germany, in 2001 and he holds a professorship in classic dance and music since 2018.Born in 1980 in Munich (Germany), he trained as a dancer at the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung in Munich with Konstanze Vernon, Hans-Joachim Mets and Alexander Prokofiev. From 1999 to 2001, he participated in productions with the Bayerisches Staatsballet Munich. He joined the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf in 2001 and he danced Swan Lake, West Side Story, Coppélia et Casse-noisette by Youri Vamos. He joined the Ballet de l'OnR in September 2006.Principal roles: Dichterliebe by Bertrand d'At; Le Marteau sans maître by Maurice Béjart; La Sylphide (Gurn) by August Bournonville version Dinna Bjørn; Immanence by Andonis Foniadakis; Giselle (pas de deux from the grape pickers) Maina Gielgud version, Wedding by Jacopo Godani; Don Quixote by Rui Lopes Graça; Walking Mad and Empty House by Johan Inger; Sinfonietta by Jirí Kylián; Heinz Spoerli's Goldberg Variations; Last Pieces by Anybody and The Nutcracker (Franz) by Jo Strømgren; Pinocchio by Ivan Cavallari; Nó by Deborah Colker,La Strada by Mario Pistoni (Il Matto), Untouched by Aszure Barton, The Rite of Spring by Stephan Thoss, In the Dark Sky, Ed Wubbe, Quintett by William Forsythe (Thomas), Chaplin by Mario Schröder ( Diktator), The Heart of my Heart by Gil Harush, Bless-so-be-IL by Bruno Bouché. And a lot more...He was appointed soloist in January 2018.I think, it is safe to say that this was one of the most challenging years in the history of the ONDR as it had to cancel large parts of this year's season due to the covid pandemic.The performing arts - and especially dance with its necessity of physical proximity and touch - are quite possibly hit the hardest under the lockdowns and as seats remain empty. How all of this affected the opera, ensemble, and Thomas in particular and what this means for the new year and the new season, we will talk about today.SHOW NOTESThomas' CVThomas on LinkedInThomas on InstagramThomas on SzenikmagOpera National Du RhinSaison OFFONR on YouTube"Chaplin" extractPortrait of Choreographer Heinz SpoerliGoldberg Variations, Bayerisches StaatsballetEinstürzende Neubauten"Dance Me To The End Of Love" by Leonard CohenGet Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear"This podcast is a Mind The Bump ProductionSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Today we are going on the road with an old acquaintance and Yellow Van veteran: musician and filmmaker Jim Kroft, one of my greatest friends and record-holder in consecutive days spent in Fonsi with me.His documentary film “A Conversation With America” is available for free on YouTube right now. It was filmed 4 years ago in the three months leading up to the election. He travelled all across the United States, looking to understand the growing political divide by searching out conversations with the wide range of people that constitute US society. Jim has created an unbiased, colorful kaleidoscope that sets the stage for all Americans - excluding noone and, therefore, overcoming the pitfalls of our societal echo chambers. The film reminds us of the tone that so many of our conversations lack these days: the cadence of mutual respect and inclusivity.  "A Conversation With America" is therefore an inspirational film, one of a kind, that I can't recommend enough. So what better time to hear his conclusion after four years of Trump, his expectations for the Biden administration and his hopes for the near US future? SHOW NOTESJim's Homepage"A Conversation With America", Jim KroftGet Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear" Jim on YouTubeGerrymanderingJames Baldwin"The Fire Next Time", James Baldwin, 1963"I Am Not Your Negro", Raoul Peck, 2017 on NetflixAmanda Gorman's Inaugural PoemAmanda Gorman's HomepageJames LovelockThe Weimar RepublicHitler's Rise To PowerKurt von Schleicher, last chancellor of the Weimar RepublicFranz von Papen, vice chancellor under HitlerThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer, 1960Carl Gustav Jung on YouTubeCarl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalystMind The BumpSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Vicky Markolefa is an award-winning visual storyteller and communication expert from Greece. And she is the co-founder of Mind The Bump, the creative collective behind the Yellow Van Stories. But, above all, she is the love of my life.In this episode we talk about our plans for the year, projects to come, and why we do what we do. It provides you with an opportunity to get to know one of the major driving forces behind this show as she finds guests for the show, provides much needed feedback, and develops our long-term strategies.I met Vicky while shooting a film along the European Refugee Trail in the make-shift camp in Idomeni on the Greek-North Macedonian border. There she was and I was hers...for good.Vicky was the communication manager of MSF Greece at the time, facilitating medical help for refugees living amidst a growing humanitarian crisis.Despite her degrees in Business Administration and Marketing Management, I think it is safe to say, that photography and film are by far her big passions in life. It is here where she feels she can shape the world ever so slightly and follow her idealism.Vicky's work has to a very large degree been focused on human rights and ecology, holding leading communication positions at ActionAid Greece, WWF, and MSF Greece as well as having an extraordinary photographic and filmic body of work from around the globe featuring the same topics.What I find most extraordinary and moving in her images is her unparalleled ability to capture the vulnerability of both the photographed as well as the photographer, maintaining eye-level even when she towers over her subject. Her pictures are, in that sense, testaments of her empathy.For her storytelling work she has been awarded many times - in photography and in film. Vicky is an anarchist, believing in the governing power of nature. Maybe the reason she loves animals more than human beings. Or does she? Listen in to find out.SHOW NOTESMind The BumpVicky's WebsiteVicky on InstagramVicky on FacebookWomenPhotoGRMasai Mara"Walden" by Henry David ThoreauZenith Camera"The March Of Hope", documentary film by Jim Kroft and Bastian Fischer"Steps" Initiative for homeless people in GreeceGet Jim Kroft's beautiful song "Love In The Face Of Fear" Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Amjad Ramadan was born in Homs, Syria, in 1995. He left Syria due to the civil war and fled to Turkey in 2012 at the age of 17.He lived in Kastamonou for 4 years where he enrolled at the local university to study journalism.Due to Amjad's financial decline, he had to withdraw before any of the courses had even started and without his curiosity having been quenched. He decided to go to Europe for a better future perspective and arrived on the Greek island of Lesvos in 2016.Amjad's arrival coincided with the closing of the Balkan route that had until then been among the preliminary transit routes for refugees crossing the Aegean into Greece and, subsequently, traveling on further into Europe.Like thousands of others, Amjad got stuck at the Greek-North-Macedonian border at Idomeni.This is where Amjad met Vicky Markolefa, my girlfriend and creative partner, who is also joining us today on the Yellow Van. This podcast was basically Vicky's idea and she put us all in touch. Thank you, my love, for the gift of this episode.Amjad spent eight months in the make-shift camp of Idomeni, that, at its height, had roughly 15.000 people dwelling in an area that had only had an emergency strategy for 5.000 people.It was during this time, that I was in Idomeni as well. Only for about six weeks, having Fonsi as a luxury domicile amidst all the cheap tents. Being welcomed, fed, and groomed by our neighbours from Syria, the Ghiran, who shared everything with us - no matter how cold or wet the day would be. And it was very cold, and it was very wet a lot of the days back then when nothing else but summer tents were available, when the mud was ankle-deep, and disease was spreading throughout the camp.My idea of hospitality is to this day entirely rooted in my experiences there and the virtue of spirit that was heaped upon me.I only digress here to bear witness to the fact, that eight months in Idomeni are an eternity...but that they can also build a spirit. One of the many reasons, why Amjad says that "being a refugee is a badge one should wear with pride." Amjad joined the UNHCR Refugee Program and was first taken to a newly opened camp in Evosmos, close to Thessaloniki in the North of Greece. After roughly two more years, Amjad was accepted as a refugee in Germany where he was allowed to join his older brother in the city of Neuss where he has been living since 2018.And now, this long, hardy journey has brought him aboard the Yellow Van and I couldn't be happier and prouder to have him here with us today.Welcome aboard the Yellow Van, Amjad.SHOW NOTESAmjad on FacebookAmjad on InstagramUrban GardeningThessalonikiMédecins Sans Frontières (MSF)IdomeniRefugee Retrospective 2016The Balkan RouteLesvosSyrian Civil WarHomsGet Jim Kroft's beautiful song "Love In The Face Of Fear" Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Engeli Haupt was born in South Africa and grew up in the capital Pretoria. She studied linguistics at UNISA, the biggest university of the country, that counts amongst its alumni Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.16 years ago Engeli moved to Mexico due to her love for the Spanish language and, most of all, due to her adventurous and curious nature. During this time, she has been working in English language teaching in various roles. At the moment she works as a materials writer, i.e. she develops the reading and study material for language students. But this is only the commercial side of Engeli's work.Engeli is a gifted poet and creative writer. Her poems are like word sculptures; what I mean by that, is that the visual placement of words on a blank page is as important as the semantic arrangement. In that sense, Engeli forms a shape of meaning out of the preconceived pattern of language to offer infinite interpretational space and infinite views of the same, old thing.Engeli finds beautiful ways to pacify opposites in her work. One example is how she explores the blindspots in science while, at the same time, aestheticizing science itself. She manages to reconcile measurable data with a plea for the unruly mysticism of nature and its existence outside of human projection as a force on its own. This is a strong, recurring theme in Engeli's work.  Her short stories are wonderful examples of creative nonfiction writing - always self-reflective and bent on personal insight. It is by maintaining a healthy and critical distance to her own thought process, that her stories unfold their universal power. It is Engeli's search for meaning that is most inspiring, placing a state of perpetual examination above the state of short-lived certainty.Right now, Engeli is part of the Writer's Studio Program at the Canadian Simon Fraser University, where she is being mentored in Creative Nonfiction Writing by the author Claudia Cornwall, an accomplished author especially well-known for her memoir works in which she examines personal as well as collective memory.I personally can't wait to reap the fruits of their collaboration as an enthralled reader of Engeli's works.Engeli's and my story goes back 20 years, when we met in London and lived in the same house for a couple of months. Her warmth and gentleness got me through the bleak London winter days - the experience laying the groundwork for a lifelong friendship. If you want to find out why Engeli thinks of her mother as an exceptional cook despite having little love for her dishes, stay with us in the Yellow Van.Show Notes:Engeli's Online PortfolioEngeli's InstagramVirgin Chili MojitoSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

In today's episode I will be speaking to Danny and Laura Seiler, who got stuck in the Moroccan desert during the first lockdown. For two months, they and their two beautiful daughters, lived in an oasis where they were stalked by a scorpion, painted an entire swimming-pool blue, and built their very own pizza oven. They will tell us why hospitality is at its greatest when somebody puts a spade in your hand, how garbage can be an ally in conspiratorial planning, why “Inshallah” is such a life-affirming phrase, and the reason why, despite a healthy amount of camera reluctance, they decided to turn it all into a documentary film.This episode is also a premiere as it is the first episode recorded on location, namely at Laura and Danny's home. Also, this episode is hosted for the very first time together with the photographer and communication expert Vicky Markolefa, my partner in life. Not the last time, I am sure.Enjoy your ride.Show Notes:Camp 4 You - The MovieTajineBuild Your Own Earth OvenMorocco"Inshallah"Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Olga Stefatou is a visual artist and curatorial consultant. She recently moved back to her native country Greece after working with Qatar Museums as photography specialist for two years. In her practice, Olga works with mixed media and mainly with photography. She investigates the idea of freedom and its connection to geopolitics, heritage and social structures, with a special interest in gender issues. Believing that image-making should engage the personal and collective consciousness, her work entangles documentary practices with performance elements as tools to reflect alternative realities. Olga has exhibited her work at Doha Fire Station art space (QA), Los Angeles Month of Photography, Head On (AU), Les Boutographies (FR) and Gallery Negpos (FR) among others.Some of her major projects include the long-term series Red Ruby in Myanmar, while in 2015 she participated in the pioneering Solar Impulse mission – the first-time attempt to circumnavigate the world using only solar power. Olga has travelled worldwide and extensively in Asia, producing photography and video on social and humanitarian issues. She has a extensive experience in photojournalism, collaborating with international media such as Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, The Economist, NBC News and Vanity Fair among others. Olga is the creative director of Saristra Festival Arts, a festival celebrating music and arts on Cephalonia Island, Greece. She studied photography at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and in 2012 she earned her Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Bolton, UK, while being based in Beijing, China.Through her work, Olga creates a stage to empower people to transform our perception of them - involving her subjects rather than presenting them. Her project "Chrysalis", a series of portraits of refugee women dressed up in the same golden rescue blankets that are handed out to hypothermic refugees upon arrival on the Greek islands, can serve as a perfect example. What once was a sign of vulnerability is transformed into a symbol of beauty and strength.Olga's work is also concerned with questions around home and identity, with a strong tangible love towards her native Greece while maintaining a critical distance - proving, to me at least, that love is in essence the acceptance of imperfection. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Mabel is a Brazilian psychologist working at INCA - Instituto Nacional de Cancer, the National Cancer Institute, in Rio de Janeiro. INCA is a public service within the SUS network - SUS stands for Unified Health System. It's not a single hospital, actually, it's an institute that behaves as an organ of the Health Ministry. Meaning INCA not only offers health assistance, but also professional education and research, as well as build public policies in the field of cancer. The institute has four units for direct health assistance. Mabel works in one of these units where they deal exclusively with palliative care cancer patients, meaning, the ones to whom the aggressive treatments have no further benefits because of the advanced stage of the disease and/or the frailty of the patient's organism. Mabel and her colleagues therefore manage symptoms and offer quality of life during the remaining period of their patients' life. Apart from from her work as a psychologist among patients and their families, Mabel, also works as a lecturer in the health residence training programs.In the wake of the corona outbreak in Brazil, Mabel initiated a hospital choir performing Brazilian music via remote call technology, bringing the staff together to participate in the life affirming expression of song and a celebration of human tenacity.I met Mabel on the beautiful island of Crete during the Film Festival of Ierapetra that she was attending with her husband and filmmaker Leo Santos who was here on the show the week before. Mabel has one of the most resounding laughs I have ever come across, melting all ice. It is therefore my absolute pleasure to have her on the show today.Show links:Wolfgang PauliCarl JungSpin Theory"The Good Place", Michael Schur, 2016-2020Get Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear" Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Leo is a filmmaker, writer, director, and cameraman from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.I had the great pleasure of meeting Leo and his wonderful wife Mabel at the International Film Festival Ierapetra on Crete in 2018 and we got along brilliantly right from the start.Leo was running with his documentary film "Right There", the story of a Rio policeman, who abhors the use of guns and violence in general, traveling to South Africa to understand how a country that had been so deeply divided by Apartheid had managed to bridge its seemingly insurmountable racial gap and what lessons this possibly entailed for Brazilian society - a society deeply entrenched in racial politics.It is a movie that shows us that constructive solutions can be more easily found by moving away from stereotypical interpretations (i.e. all policemen advocating the use of guns as a means of power) and by looking at similar problems in a different context (the overcoming of racial segregation on another continent and in another society). Turning one's attention away from one's immediate surrounding and, therefore, breaking one's own subjectivity, can be a way to break the chain of hate and anger. This is one of the very powerful lessons the film has to offer to us. "Right There" won the Ierapetra Festival Award for this outstanding achievement. Additionally, it won the Award of Recognition at the Impact Doc Awards, and was part of the official selection of the Film Com Festival in Nashville, USA. Leo is politically active in a Brazil progressively undermining civil rights. He holds a firm belief in social and political justice, and is therefore willing to fight for his beliefs even at the expense of his own safety and freedom. All the qualities worthy of anyone's admiration and praise - including my own, of course.Therefore, I was extremely happy to have Leo on the show.Show Links:Everything related to Leo:www.pressafilmes.comwww.instagram.com/pressafilmeswww.instagram.com/leodapressa"Coordenadas", Leo Santos, 2018Everything else:Get Jim Kroft's song "Love In The Face Of Fear" "Good Job" by Alicia Keys“The Edge Of Democracy, Petra Costa, 2019“The Influence of the Brazilian Dictatorship on Brazilian Music: A Rhetorical Analysis of Protest Songs”, Fernanda Rezende, 2008“Farofa"“The Chamber”, John Grisham, 1994“Quilombo”“City Of God”, Fernando Fereilles, 2002“To Kill A Mockingbird”, Harper Lee, 1960“The Crown, Peter Morgan, 2016“Catharsis”Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Jim Kroft is one of my dearest friends, and an especially talented one as well.Music, videography, and photography are the fields where he excels the most, but I have a feeling if I were to catch him with a paint brush in his hand, I would be equally awed.In 2015, Jim and I set out in Fonsi to document the European Refugee Trail for a self-funded project. What had been planned to be 3 weeks turned into almost two and a half months on the road. We both felt that human suffering cannot and may not be comprehended by the coldness of numerical abstraction and wanted to engage with the stories of our fellow humans looking for our help. Our resulting film “The March of Hope” ran at various film festivals and won numerous awards - thanks to Jamie mainly, who did all the heavy lifting with the editing while I was too busy setting up camp to live in Greece.There followed another documentary called “The White Arrow”, documenting his journey on the Transsiberian Railway, covering some 3200 km, 11 time zones, and playing 30 live concerts along the way.For a limited time only, his film "A Conversation With America" is available for free on YouTube. It is an unbiased, colorful kaleidoscope upon which Jim sets the stage for all Americans - excluding noone and, therefore, overcoming the pitfalls of our societal echo chambers. The film reminds us of the tone so many of our converations lack these days: a cadence of mutual respect and inclusivity. "A Conversation With America" is an inspirational film, one of a kind, that I can't recommend enough. If you haven't guessed by this very detailed CV yet, Jim is a very empathetic man who believes in a better world and the equality of all. Some people might therefore call him a dreamer, I call him a visionary. Also he is the person who has spent the single-most time continuously sharing a bed with me in Fonsi for almost two-and-a-half months. This record has yet to be broken. His latest song “Love In The Face Of Fear” is a wonderful expression of how we can meet the many challenges the world is facing and I am very grateful to be able to use it as the “theme” song for this show as they both share the same conviction.On top of it all, going out with Jamie for a Hefe, a wheat beer Bavarians like to take credit for and which has become his signature drink, is an opportunity nobody should miss. Soon the table will be swarming with strangers who will leave you as your new best friends.All these reasons qualify Jamie more than anyone to be the very first guest on this show.Show Links:Jim's HomepageGet Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear" "A Conversation With America", Jim KroftStereochemistry"Shantaram" by Gregory David RobertsGregory David Roberts"Good Job" by Alicia Keys"Black Lives Matter" Playlist"Don't Shoot" by The Game (feat. Rick Ross, Fabolous, Diddy, 2 Chainz, Wale, DJ Khaled, Swizz Beats, Yo Gotti, Curren$y, Problem, King Pharaoh, TGT)Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)

Yellow Van Stories is a podcast hosted by the photographer and filmmaker Bastian Fischer. In the show, he speaks to artists from all over the world, exploring the value of culture in times of crisis and how it has the power to bring us all closer together. Yellow Van Stories is like a spontaneous get-together, celebrating heartfelt exchange in a time where physical distancing and quarantine seem to chisel away at our sanity and most basic human needs. In this introductory episode you will meet Alphonse, the silent star who this podcast is named after.Music:Jim Kroft, Love In The Face Of Fearhttps://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fearSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan)