My academic celebration

“My academic journey took me halfway round the world – from Indonesia to the Netherlands and then to Germany. I like the more low-key approach to celebrating graduations in Central Europe: when I graduated with my master’s in Utrecht all I got from the university was a handshake, while my doctoral supervisor in Munich arranged a small drinks party with friends, colleagues and pretzels. Celebrations follow a more formal procedure in Indonesia: at my bachelor’s graduation I wore a gown, hat and medal, just like all the other graduates. Engaging a professional photographer is the done thing, but it can get pretty expensive! Recently I was appointed as a full professor at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember in Surabaya, Indonesia. This also involved a formal ceremony: following an inaugural address by the vice chancellor, the official letter from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education was read out. One then gives an academic lecture on one’s main subject, after which one is officially inaugurated into office with a banner symbol on one’s clothing and a certificate from the head of the institute.”

Professor Edwin Setiawan from Indonesia received support from the DAAD during his doctoral degree in molecular geo- and palaeon­tology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Until 2023 he served as a voluntary DAAD Research Ambassador.

“When we celebrate a graduation in West Africa, we do so in style! The audience includes the graduate’s family and friends, and in some cases the ceremony is even attended by the paramount chiefs – the traditional rulers of individual towns or states. That’s a real honour! Graduates from the University of Ghana wear a robe with a Kente stole, a colourful handwoven garment that is draped over the shoulders like a scarf. Worn only by kings in the past, today it expresses a sense of tradition and pride in one’s own roots. There are drum performances, singing and traditional dances. In my opinion that’s what makes bachelor’s or master’s graduation ceremonies very special.”

Omotola Dorcas Olaoye from Ghana is doing a PhD at the University of Ghana’s West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement on a scholarship from the DAAD’s In-Country/In-Region Programme in Developing Countries.

“Japan and Germany are very different – including when it comes to celebrating a graduation. All the students in a particular year graduate at the same time in Japan, the celebrations taking place in late March when the cherry trees are in blossom and everything is a sea of delicate pink. Graduates from Kyoto University don’t just wear kimonos or suits, some also come in cosplay outfits: pokémons or costumes that satirise topical news stories or social criticism are especially popular. Nobody knows exactly why graduations have been celebrated in this way in Kyoto since the 1990s. My theory is that the slightly rebellious individualistic style for which Kyoto University is famous also shines through in the graduation celebrations.”

Shuta Watanabe from Japan studied political science at Freie Universität Berlin on a DAAD master’s scholarship from 2019 to 2021.

“I didn’t attend my own graduation at Cambridge University but simply picked my certificate up from the office and cycled away on my bike. I wasn’t in the mood for celebrating. I’d hoped my degree course would enable me to develop as a person, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Instead, I spent the next few years seeking my own path in Berlin, San Francisco, Tübingen and Freiburg, studying with clowns, improvisational performers, dancers and therapists. That’s how I came to be a clown myself and someone who regards humour as a wonderful key to understanding the world and acting within it. Every year, I train roughly 35 clowns myself, something I’ve been doing ever since the 1990s. I teach my students to discover their inner jester – not only for the stage but especially for their own lives. When they graduate, they perform a set in front of their friends and family. We put our hearts and souls into celebrating together. I present them with their diploma – along with photos I take during their clown performance.”

David Gilmore is a clown. With the DAAD’s support, he worked as an English assistant teacher at a secondary school in Berlin in 1972.