International coffee hour to feature music, art, history, politics from around the world

By Inga Lukaviciute

Music, dances, cultures and politics of the world are the main topics for the spring semester’s International Coffee Hour at Fresno State.

The exploration of global diversity event will kick off with a trip to Japan through the stories and presentations by Hidekaz Arai, a senior in theatre arts, Thursday at 2 p.m. at the University Student Union, room 317. Arai will present cultural and historical aspects of life in his home country—Japan in a relaxed atmosphere by a cup of coffee or tea.

The International Coffee Hour is a cultural event initiated by the office of the International Student Services and Programs, more than 10 years ago, Carol Munshover, director of ISSP, said.

The event is held once a week and features “a guest speaker, who talks about a country, culture or other global topics that help increase awareness and knowledge about international issues,” said coordinator Jawad Essadki.

International Coffee Hour is free and open to the Fresno State community. “Attendants get to enjoy very interesting presentations, free refreshments and a very exciting question/answer session after the presentation,” Essadki said.

This semester ICH will feature speakers from Japan, Bangladesh, Argentina, Hong-Kong, India, China, Egypt, Puerto-Rico, Kuwait and Africa. The topics range from music and arts to history and politics.

Fresno State has more than 800 international students representing 81 countries.