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Nigerian man refused entry into his Nottingham graduation ceremony for wearing traditional attire

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Joshua Whitehead at his graduation with his sister Zaralucy Whitehead [right] and mother, Maureen Whitehead [left].


A Nottingham student wearing traditional Nigerian clothes was left “upset” after being refused entry to his graduation ceremony for not wearing a gown.

Joshua Whitehead, a former English literature student at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) wanted to wear the cultural garments as a way to ‘celebrate his Nigerian heritage’ during his graduation.

The ordeal has left him questioning NTU’s inclusivity which he said he thinks the institution play on for “marketing purposes.”

Joshua’s graduation ceremony was at University Hall in Shakespeare Street on December 13, but he was told he would not be allowed into the hall due to what he was wearing when he arrived.

NTU have said students are welcome to wear the traditional national dress to their graduations, as long as they wear a gown on top during the ceremony.

The 25-year-old from Luton added that the cost of a university education means the price of gown hiring should be covered by the institution, especially for those of “working-class backgrounds”, like Joshua.

He said:

“In my culture these are clothes to wear on big occasions. I just wanted to celebrate my Nigerian heritage during my graduation.

“I’m from a working class background and it’s not cheap to hire a gown. We pay to come to university so they should buy the gowns for us.

“That’s one idea I’ve had. I’m not making demands or anything but we need to have that conversation.”

Before the day of his graduation, Joshua had written to the president of NTU’s students’ union saying he would not be paying to hire a gown because of the “extortionate” price.

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The price of hiring a gown for a graduation ceremony at NTU is around £50 and Joshua – who is president of the dance society called Funky Fresh Collective – said paying for a gown is a reflection of a “capitalistic society.”

After being refused entry, Joshua Whitehead posted a video on social media expressing his thoughts on not being able to wear what we wanted and having to pay to hire a gown.

The university have said they are looking to add the cost of hiring a gown to their hardship fund for students facing financial difficulties.

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Despite what happened, Joshua added he is not angry and will carry on studying his masters at NTU in teaching English as a foreign language which he started in September.

He said:

“I’m so proud to be part of NTU but things could be done better. People there have a job to do but at the end of the day, university is for students so they should always be kept in mind, even in these situations.

“The university always brag about how many nationalities they have, but it’s just for marketing purposes.”

“If I look at something that’s wrong I will not just stand by. I have to say something about it.

“Why can’t I celebrate my graduation in my traditional dress? I have a lot of pride in that part of my heritage. That’s why I wanted to wear it.

Joshua’s graduation ceremony was at University Hall on Friday, December 13

“I even did a conference paper at NTU on subjects like black heritage.”

A spokesperson for NTU said: “Graduation is a chance for our students to celebrate their achievements and wearing academic dress is part of the tradition and experience of the day.

“We welcome the wearing of formal national dress – we have many cultures represented from around the world at our ceremonies – but graduates are required to wear an academic gown over the top for the duration of the ceremony.

“The hire/purchase of a gown is the sole cost to a student wishing to attend a graduation ceremony – refreshments and tickets for the graduate and two guests to attend are complimentary.

“The university administers a hardship fund for students who are facing financial difficulties in covering their essential living expenses. While gown hire for graduation ceremonies is not currently covered by this fund, we do plan to explore this possibility in the future.”

Joshua still managed to take pictures with his family outside University Hall and received his certificate for his degree.

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He added:

“I’m not angry, but a little upset.

“This shows how cultures are not being integrated and why some students struggle to be represented more than others.”

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