FIHUK Centennial Weekend
Friends of International House, United Kingdom (FIHUK) celebrated I-House’s centennial May 9-11 during a beautiful spring weekend of varied activities in London which drew some 50 participants from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan and Bangladesh.
The festivities began on May 9 with a welcome reception hosted by Deniz ’67 and Erol Gelenbe ’68 at their home in Belgravia. FIHUK Board President Patricia Hamzahee OBE ’83 welcomed the group with the promise of a weekend emblematic of the I-House experience, filled with music, art, friendship and conversation on timely topics.
Following remarks by I-House President Sebastian Fries, Deniz Gelenbe offered a moving piano recital of Evocation, featuring works by Mompou, Poulenc, and Chopin. Afterward, featured guest Martin Bell OBE, longtime BBC War Correspondent and British MP, spoke on War Zone Survival, in conversation with FIHUK Trustee Alyson King OBE ’00, British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo. After the discussion, and an engaging Q&A with attendees, the group enjoyed food, drink, and additional conversation.
On Saturday, the group met at the Tate Modern at Bankside for a private guided tour by art history specialist Nadia Denton, who offered a unique perspective on contemporary art framed through the lens of African Modernism and Afro-Surrealism. The tour focused on a handful of artists of African descent who have challenged traditional Eurocentric artistic and social norms.
That evening, International Student House (ISH) of London was the venue for the weekend’s centerpiece, a special Salon Night. President Sebastian Fries made remarks conveying that I-House was concluding a robust and positive year while at the same time the community is anxiously facing surprising changes in US immigration policies and their impact on the I-House community.
President Fries acknowledged Patricia Hamzahee for her leadership and planning of the weekend, along with fellow FIHUK trustees present: Erika Howard Dolmans ’86, Veronique Ehamo ’18, Tomas Hazleton ’91, Alyson King ’00, Mami Urano ’87, and Patrick von Aulock ’85.
For the musical portion of the evening, guests were treated to the talents of I-House alumni and FIHUK Trustee Ayman Jarjour ’00, classical guitar, and Sabina Rakcheyeva-Haydon ’04, violin, who performed solos and duets. The two were joined by DR Congolese bass Blaise Malaba, and Sabina’s son Aston Rafiq Haydon, 10 years old, on piano for a memorable set of performances. The evening concluded with more food, drink and conversation.
Attendees met again for a farewell Sunday brunch at Browns Covent Garden and afterward gathered at the nearby home of Tomas Hazleton, who graciously offered his Leicester Square flat as a rest stop and gathering point throughout the entire weekend.
The proceeds from this memorable weekend will go to support residents from conflict-affected countries. FIHUK has organised similar special events in the past, including a fundraising concert at St Peter’s Church Covent Garden in 2014 and a joint Alumni Reunion with Freunde in Edinburgh in 2018. There is also usually an I-House Day event in November hosted at the home of a FIHUK Trustee or alumni.
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