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American artist Keith Haring became extremely successful and popular in the 1980s for his mix of graffiti and pop art-style work. In 1986, he was invited to paint a mural on the Berlin Wall by the director of the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, Dr Rainer Hildebrandt. The mural spanned 300 metres and incorporated the three colours of the German flag. Keith Haring said he wanted the mural to be a sign of unity for people on both sides of the wall. Dr Hildebrandt’s wife, Alexandra, has been telling Tim O’Callaghan about her memo...
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from the BBC World Service this is history told by the people who were
in October 1986. A huge new mural spanning 300 meters appeared on the west side of the Berlin
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Is this episode right for you?
B1 · Intermediate
Fine if you can follow simple news
- 87% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 155 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 27 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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harder words (B2+)
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. from the BBC World Service this is history told by the people who were there welcome to witness history with me Tim O'Callaghan in the space of 24 hours in October 1986. A huge new mural spanning 300 meters appeared on the west side of the Berlin
Wall, the structure which divided Germany physically, politically and mentally. Graffiti was common on the giant concrete structure, but what made this mural special is that it was created by the renowned American artist Keith Haring. He was there on the invitation of the director of the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, the late Dr. Raina Hildebrandt.
symbol of division, of dictatorship, of on humanity. The world was not just for the German and not just for Berlin but also for all the world. Now before I carry on I just need to tell you that you can hear more amazing bite-sized chunks of history every day in the Witness History Feed, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
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