Commentaries
Short reflections on culture - a journal of many voices.
Commentaries is a reflection journal that gives a voice to culture. Reflections are primarily ours but the door is open. If there is a culture you care about and can speak to authentically, you are invited: email us at hello@vigatour.co.uk or message us on Instagram (@vigatour). You have a voice and this is a place for it. We're interested in stories of heritage, diaspora and cultural exchange.
Commentaries Archive:
Heavyweight Boxing’s First African American Champion – 14th October 2026
Let us tell you about the greatest boxer that ever lived. In our opinion, this boxer surpassed Muhammad Ali for his impact in America (and we are not here to denounce the greatness of Ali). Moulded by the very brutal battle royals and the son of ex-slaves, the first African American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, had a legacy so strong that even Donald J. Trump had to posthumously pardon him. A pardon, might we add, for a conviction based on trumped-up charges (pun intended) of “white slavery”.
I guess we need to justify our claim on Jack Johnson. So here’s the scene.
The time is 1908. Jack had struggled for many years to get the big fight for the heavyweight championship. As with other black fighters of the time, like Sam Langford, America wanted him to be happy with what they called the “World Colored Heavyweight Championship”. Why? Because white champions wouldn’t give an African American a fight. It is what they called the ‘color line’. Heck, even when Tommy Burns tried to draw the same line, it was only when the right amount of money came and after Jack Johnson chased him halfway round the world to Australia for a bout.
But this didn’t matter.
Our man, Jack Johnson, won the fight against history’s shortest heavyweight champion, Tommy Burns.
But white America couldn’t have it. They hated it so much that they had to beg James J. Jeffries, the retired heavyweight champion, to return to the ring in 1910. But he was retired for a reason. At his very best and riding the high of being the champion, this man refused to give a black man a shot. But when he returned from retirement, white America gave him the moniker of “The Great White Hope”, the one to defeat this “menace” to America.
… and this is the America Jack Johnson had to fight in.
Did Jack win? Of course he did. But that win was barbed. African Americans were lynched and race riots broke out across America, leaving up to 26 people dead and hundreds injured.
Eventually, he lost the title. This occurred in 1915. Inevitable, given the circumstances.
However, to put the impact of how scarred America was, not a single African American could challenge for the title for 22 years (until Joe Louis).
So, if you learn about one of the greatest boxers to grace the ring, remember Jack Johnson by the words long attributed to him, which we have paraphrased here:
He was black and they never let him forget it. He was black and he never let them forget it.
The World Warrior – 13th October 2026
The World Warrior is part of the full title of what most people simply call Street Fighter II. Its cultural impact cannot be denied. While many will watch its namesake film this week, those who grew up with it will remember the feeling of learning combinations and special moves, then putting them into action.
This was a game that served as the Empire Strikes Back to its predecessor: more popular and more groundbreaking. Without Street Fighter II, there may never have been a Tekken or a Mortal Kombat. In fact, this game exhibited mixed martial arts to 90s audiences before UFC 1 was ever introduced.
So, what made it special?
For one, it brought different cultures and their martial arts to a casual gaming audience. The USSR was known for dominating wrestling in the 1970s and 80s. This was reflected in the character of Zangief. Japan was represented by the karate of Ryu and the sumo of one Edmund Honda (or E. Honda to the real casuals). Then there was the power of yoga, embodied by the Indian yogi Dhalsim, who added a cultural connection each time he fought in his temple hall, flanked by elephants and watched over by Ganesh.
Then there is the diversity of the characters. Most of the continents were represented, from the Amazon-based Blanka to China’s Chun-Li. With the latter, players could fight as a woman at a time when the main character was almost always male. And there were eight protagonists to choose from, each with their own story and ending. Eight different stories, written by your gaming skills.
Street Fighter II, of course, influenced rap, and it captured a moment in the 1990s when gaming went from feeling soft and child-friendly to speaking to an older, teenage audience: a transition that the likes of SEGA were able to capitalise on.
There is so much that Street Fighter II brought to the world. But fundamentally, for many, it made gaming fun. It is a symbol of 90s nostalgia and its introduction reflected a beautiful period in many people’s lives - a life without stress.
PERFECT.
YOU WIN.
25 September 2026 — Deus in Machina
We are calling this commentary Deus in Machina. Translated from Latin, this means "God in the Machine", with the machine being us, the world and everything in it.
Consider this our exploration of Sufism.
The Sufi worldview allows us to break down the barriers of the mind and our inherited assumptions, revealing the beauty that already exists around us. This cultural tradition from Islam counts figures such as Rumi and Mansur al-Hallaj among its most celebrated proponents. It follows the belief that God is everywhere and in everything, and that each person is ultimately searching for the same source.
If you truly love God, surely you would love the world around you and the person within it, regardless of race, religion, gender or any other surface-level difference.
At its heart, the Sufi tradition calls for humility, teaching that no person stands above another. This tradition sees the paths of others as among the many paths that can draw a person closer to the divine. Love forms the crux of the tradition rather than division. It is with this ethos, when exploring cultures of this world, that Vigatour as a brand is built.
15 September 2026 — The Nazi Connection to Star Wars
This commentary does not state that George Lucas advocated for Nazism. In fact, his life and work suggest the opposite. Rather, this is an exploration of the historical influences that can be seen within Star Wars and what they tell us about the way culture evolves.
With that introduction complete, let us begin.
When watching Star Wars, there are clear parallels between the evil Galactic Empire and Nazi Germany. The Empire's military aesthetic, strict authoritarian rule and emphasis on absolute power all draw comparisons with the Third Reich. Even the term "Stormtrooper" carries historical significance, having been associated with German military formations and later becoming strongly linked in the public imagination with Nazi organisations such as the SA. The design of Darth Vader's helmet also bears similarities to the German stahlhelm. Through these visual and linguistic choices, Lucas sought to portray the Empire as one of the most oppressive and feared forces in the galaxy.
One of the most interesting examples appears at the end of A New Hope. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, accompanied by Chewbacca, walk through a vast ceremonial hall to receive medals from Princess Leia. The scene bears a striking resemblance to imagery found in Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will. This does not suggest that the Rebel Alliance is Nazi-inspired. Instead, it demonstrates how powerful visual ideas can transcend their original context and find their way into entirely different stories. Cinema, like culture itself, rarely develops in isolation.
This influence can be seen far beyond Star Wars. Consider the Olympic torch relay. Many people assume it is an ancient tradition inherited directly from the original Olympic Games. While the Olympic flame itself draws inspiration from ancient Greece, the modern torch relay was first introduced for the 1936 Berlin Olympics under Adolf Hitler's regime. Riefenstahl herself captured the relay in the opening of her 1938 film Olympia, helping to fix it in the world's imagination. Today, the relay is viewed as a symbol of international unity and sporting excellence, yet few people stop to consider its more recent origins.
Examples such as these reveal an uncomfortable truth about culture. Ideas, symbols and traditions often survive long after the societies that created them have disappeared. They are adapted, reinterpreted and given new meanings by later generations. What was once associated with one cause or ideology can become detached from its original purpose and absorbed into mainstream life.
And it is with this understanding that we encourage you to look more closely at the world around you. The films we watch, the traditions we celebrate and the symbols we recognise often have deeper histories than we realise. Star Wars serves as a reminder that culture is not created in isolation. Rather, it is a continuous conversation between the past and the present, carrying echoes of histories that we may not always recognise or want to accept as a reality, but which continue to shape the world around us.
13 September 2026 — The Opium of the People
Karl Marx called religion: the opium of the people. But why? Opium in the 19th century served as an embodied duality between being a medicine and a drug, depending on the user. The same is true of religion. In some people's hands religion heals and in others it becomes an instrument of hatred, far from the love of the original leaders.
Jesus, Muhammad ﷺ, the Buddha, Guru Nanak. Each taught a way and believed in it. But none of them imposed their will on others. They showed the path and let people walk toward it or away from it. The dichotomy in the culture of religion is not between religions themselves. Merely, it is between the individuals who assume ambassadorship without looking at the essence of what they believe in and those who show a way and trust others to walk it.
Imposition speaks to the ego of the one imposing. For example, the belief that: "my god will bless me because I converted this person". Through this lens, it has never been about the one being converted, but the selfishness of the converter in receiving a blessing such as heaven.
If a person wants to follow a way, let it be. And as any tradition worth the name would want, no way should ever be forced. The culture of religion can be toxic. The culture of these greats was not. Theirs was to show people a path and to trust people to discern and follow for themselves. Religion should be a pain reliever rather than the bearer of pain. That's the culture that was meant to be.
8 September 2026 — The Systems that Allow Evil
What if evil rises because a grander system wants it to happen? What if the same systems we place our trust in support these evils because it benefits them? Support of systemic evil is a negative cultural playbook used in organisations of varying sizes: micro to multinational.
In 1930s Germany, many of the ex-army elites supported Nazism because it allowed them to keep their prestige, their titles and their standing in the system. In 1920s Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III supported Mussolini as prime minister, because it would protect his throne.
There are examples where evil grows in our world and yet nothing happens. Why? Because there are systems that benefit from such evils: governments, weapons companies, etc.
There is a lot to explore, but this commentary serves as food for thought.
3 September 2026 — Geordielust
It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s windy.
No matter.
In the background bellow the bells. Church bells. And all so suddenly, they’re drowned out by fans. Newcastle fans. The crowd erupts in a chorus of chants. It’s not the local hero, but the then hero who adopted them. BRUNO! BRUNO! BRUNO!
In this place, football is the dominant religion. No time for church. The prayers are said for the players and the result. A Sunday well spent.
In this city, where you have aged bald men in abundance, Greggs as the name on every corner and the caws of seagulls, the black and white is the icing on the stotty cake.
That’s Geordielust.
3 September 2026 — Orwell that Ends Well
Good morning, human.
Welcome to your world. The culture you have is not your culture. Your culture is obedience, for conformity’s sake. You agree with the masses. You have no thoughts and your feelings are a sin.
The thought police hear you. Listen to your voice. They know your thoughts. You type to it and it gives you an answer. Not the best answer. Just an answer.
Then there is the world you live in. You were told you were equal to the next person. But your boss says otherwise. You are equal alright. But some are more equal than others. Know your place, you farm animal.
This isn’t the world of Orwell. This is 2026. Good morning, human. You’ve just woken up.
This is why, culture matters.
31 August 2026 — Notting Hill: A Carnival Celebration
In London, we witness one of the biggest events in Afro-Caribbean culture. Notting Hill’s Carnival is the marquee event where people from all around the world can listen, feel and embrace Afro-Caribbean heritage. For around sixty years this event has been celebrated. It is a vibrant event celebrating culture, community and connection.
27 August 2026 — British Airways: The Mirage of British Prestige
British Airways was once a flagship for the prestige of Britannia. Today, it feels like a mirror reflecting national stagnation.
Persistent delays, communication breakdowns and the systematic erosion of basic service mirror a broader institutional malaise. How did we arrive here? The answer isn't found in convenient scapegoats. It stems from something quieter and more damaging: institutional complacency. A fundamental lack of care disguised as tradition, relying on the fading momentum of past glory. The playbook Brexit Britain relies on.
If culture teaches us anything, it is that prestige is not just an inheritance, but an element that needs to be built, edified and fortified. Living off yesterday’s reputation without continuous refinement is how legacy brands and nations drift into obsolescence. The parallel between BA’s decline and Britain’s current trajectory isn't just valid; it is a warning.
26 August 2026 — Tribute to Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton died on 25 August 2026, at eighty. History will remember one of the most successful country music artists of all time and a woman who stood powerfully in a male-dominated industry. Yet her legacy extends far beyond music. It extends to the culture around her.
Many people saw a country singer from Appalachia and assumed they understood who she was. What those people missed was a woman who supported the LGBT community consistently, for decades, in an industry where it would have cost most of her contemporaries their careers. She did it anyway.
When the song she wrote, I Will Always Love You, became a global hit through Whitney Houston, Dolly reportedly used part of the proceeds to buy an office complex in a predominantly Black neighbourhood of Nashville, Tennessee. She bought it in 1997, when others in the industry were avoiding the area. She called it the house that Whitney built.
She was more than the hair and the rhinestones (an image she built for herself). Behind it sat a mind, a conscience and a soul most people never bothered to look for. That is why we remember her and the cultural impact she had.
Rest in Peace, Dolly Parton.
25 August 2026 — Formerly Known as Farrokh Bulsara
Of all the Asian British artists who found success in music, there is one who transcended his ancestry and rightly deserves his place in the pantheon of British music.
Born in Zanzibar to parents of Gujarati Parsi heritage, he sang songs about “privy councillors” and wove sacred words such as “Bismillah” into rock music. He delivered public anthems to tens of thousands, most famously at Live Aid in 1985. There is even an Oscar-winning film based on his life.
This man, for those who may not know, is Freddie Mercury.
He changed the landscape of rock music and gave new prestige and regality to the word Queen.
Thank you, Freddie Mercury, formerly known as Farrokh Bulsara.
24 August 2026 — The Colonialist War
For many Europeans, the First World War is remembered as the war to end all wars. Yet for much of Africa and Asia, the end of the conflict changed very little.
It was a colonialist war fought by colonial subjects. Over a million Indian troops served overseas. The tirailleurs sénégalais fought in France. In East Africa, hundreds of thousands of African porters were conscripted into the Carrier Corps. A vast number of these subjects died of disease and hunger, carrying a war they had no part in starting. They also had to contend with the racism and discrimination of the time.
When the war ended, German colonies such as Tanganyika and Kamerun (now part of Tanzania and Cameroon, respectively) were transferred to the victorious powers as mandates. Many European peoples emerged from the war with states of their own. India and the African colonies were granted no such thing. Nobody asked them. Why would they?
Remembering this does not diminish the sacrifice of veterans. It simply broadens our understanding of who experienced the war, who truly benefited and how its legacy was felt around the world.
This is why culture matters.
20 August 2026 — The Message: A Golden Piece of Hip Hop
Hip hop gave listeners a window into lives and experiences beyond their own. Through vivid lyricism, the reworking of Black music and social commentary, the genre became a voice for communities often overlooked. Few records capture this better than The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Set against the backdrop of the South Bronx, the song follows the pressures of poverty, instability and survival while striving to remain mentally resilient. Its portrayal of life at the margins of society resonated with many listeners and helped establish hip hop as a storytelling tool.
More than forty years later, the record remains relevant because it speaks to enduring human struggles and serves as a timeless piece in music.
This is why culture matters.
19 August 2026 — Coffee: Human Fuel
Every morning, millions of people begin their day with the same ritual. Before the emails, meetings and commutes comes a cup of coffee.
For many, it is the fuel of modern work. Yet few stop to consider where it came from. Arabica coffee traces its origins to the Kaffa region of Ethiopia. Legend speaks of shepherds who noticed their goats becoming unusually energetic after eating coffee beans. Curious, these shepherds tried the beans for themselves and found they too felt energised.
Once condemned in some circles as the devil's drink, coffee eventually became one of the world's most popular beverages thanks in part to kings and sultans.
Today, entire economies run on a habit that began with a discovery in Ethiopia. Every rush hour is touched by what we have inherited from these ancient shepherds.
This is why culture matters.
18 August 2026 — Prayer and Movement
Physical movement serves as a bridge to the divine. From the prostrations of Hindu sashtanga pranama to those maintained within Islam and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the body has historically been an active instrument of devotion. These traditions grew independently of one another (in the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, the Ethiopian highlands, etc). Yet they arrived at what appears to be the same conclusion… prayer without movement feels hollow.
This convergence suggests something profound: perhaps physical movement in prayer isn’t merely symbolic, but an innate human reflex when connecting to the divine. Could this be a tenet of spiritual culture that can connect a Hindu to a Christian to a Jew to a Sikh, etc? Does true devotion to the divine invite physical action alongside the mental, emotional and spiritual states?
14 August 2026 — The Church of the Afro-Caribbean
For me, Christianity is deeply personal and rooted in Christ, but I’ve realised that the way I experience and express my faith is heavily influenced by culture. Coming from an Afro-Caribbean background, many of the churches I’ve grown up around reflect that culture through energetic preaching, rhythmic gospel music, and a dynamic exchange where the preacher may say something in the flow of the sermon that naturally invokes a response from the congregation.
Church can feel like more than worship, it can be a place of emotional release, collective healing, and resilience, where testimonies and shared experiences create a strong sense of community. In churches less influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture, worship can feel more restrained, particularly in its music and preaching style. Neither is more Christian; they simply show how culture shapes the way we experience and express the same Gospel.
Words of Ithiel, a British person of Afro-Caribbean ancestry
11 August 2026 — The Beautiful Era
10 August 2026 — War and Peace
6 August 2026 — “I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds”
To the uninitiated, these words serve as the regretful utterances of Dr Robert Oppenheimer, as he watched the first atomic detonation at the Trinity test in July 1945. To the initiated, these are the paraphrased words of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, spoken in his revealed form as Vishnu (one third of the Hindu trinity). This commentary is less of a comparison of how scientists can be seen as gods by other mere mortals. More of a cultural connection that indeed religion and science are more connected than we would like to acknowledge.
5 August 2026 — Marvelling at Marble and Muscle
Before Eugen Sandow established bodybuilding as a sport at the turn of the 20th Century, it was an art built on the statues from antiquity to the Renaissance. These creations relied on both mythos and mathematics to build the superhuman in marble. This is why, fittingly, Mr Universe Steve Reeves had to make bodybuilding mainstream through his portrayal of the Roman demigod Hercules. This serves as a full circle cultural moment.
4 August 2026 — Culture: a melting pot or a mosaic?
The melting pot asks smaller cultures to dissolve into a larger one. A mosaic asks them to sit together and remain themselves. Can multiple cultures live simultaneously and in harmony? Or is there an ultimate and unified culture that supersedes all of them? Which of these questions, if answered with a yes, will bring us closer to a universal cultural acceptance?
3 August 2026 — Food for Thought
Bridging Bangladeshi, Indian, and British identities, my culture finds its truest voice in our language and food. Food is universal — it breaks boundaries and introduces who we are to anyone. Sharing hearty, home-cooked meals with colleagues at work or neighbours over school holidays isn't just hospitality; it builds deep, lifelong relationships through simple comfort.
Words of Saira, a British person of Bengali and Indian ancestry
3 August 2026 — Romania: Rome’s Living Legacy
Across Europe, many nations have claimed descent from Ancient Rome. Romania simply is. After Trajan’s conquest of Dacia in 106 AD, Roman settlers arrived and Latin served as a primary language. Through centuries of Slavic, Ottoman and Habsburg pressure, that language remained and evolved into what we know as Romanian. Romanian remains the only Eastern Romance language to have become a national language, spoken a thousand miles from Rome.
31 July 2026 — Home in Punjabi
Learning Punjabi is culturally important to me because it keeps me connected to my roots and allows me to preserve a language that is a meaningful part of my identity. Speaking Punjabi helps me communicate with relatives back home, appreciate Punjabi music, and understand the humour, expressions and jokes that simply can't be translated in the same way.
Words of Deep, a British person of Punjabi ancestry
30 July 2026 — Fear of What You Hate?
Islamophobia, xenophobia and homophobia all stem from "phobos" (Ancient Greek for "fear"). While modern usage denotes hatred, hostility is rarely born in a vacuum. Before cultures, peoples and ideas can be understood, the unfamiliar must cease to be feared.
28 July 2026 — Call Him Julius: Caesar, Czar, Kaiser
Julius Caesar has a deep cultural influence on our world. How does a dictator who died over 2,000 years ago still shape it today? His name lives on in a month, the titles of emperors and in one of the greatest plays ever written. Few figures in history have transcended cultures quite like Caesar.
24 July 2026 — Ethiopia and the Bible: From Solomon to Selassie
Few nations intertwine with the Bible like Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie is one notable link to this thread. His dynasty claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. While Solomon is a central figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Selassie was proclaimed divine by Rastafari. A profound intersection of religion, culture and identity.
22 July 2026 — Storytelling through Music
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture tells a story without a single lyric. Composed in 1880, it commemorates Napoleon's Grande Armée marching into Russia and its destruction at the hands of Tsar Alexander I's army. Cannon fire, French and Russian anthems and church bells all reflect the 19th-century zeitgeist of Europe where war, nationalism and religion competed in an age of cultural progress.
21 July 2026 — What Makes a Semite?
There is a Semitic language family. Objectively however, there is no such thing as a Semitic race. It is a language family based on the Biblical lineage of Noah/Nuh's son Shem. This includes: Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, Tigrinya, Aramaic and Maltese. This was a category invented by German linguist August Ludwig von Schlözer and was later mistaken for a race after this.
20 July 2026 — All Roads Lead to Rome
Albania's double-headed eagle is one of the world's most beautiful standards. The motif reached Albania through Byzantium, with the twin heads marking sovereignty over the East and West. Skanderbeg (Gjergj Kastrioti) raised it against the Ottoman Empire, which claimed Rome's crown. History is full of leitmotifs, with post-antiquity nations consistently drawing their lineage back to Ancient Rome.
17 July 2026 — On the Origin of Creativity and Culture
Creativity is integrationist — taking what one culture made and weaving it into another to form ideas and creations entirely new. Cultures work in the exact same way: by nature, living systems, shaped by the times we live in, the people we meet and the ideas we hold. Where today’s cultures go next depends entirely on what we build in the here and now.
16 July 2026 — The Lebanese Diaspora in Sierra Leone
The Lebanese community in Sierra Leone formed in the late 19th century, when migrants from southern Lebanon — then under Ottoman rule — arrived seeking trade. Over time they grew influential in commerce, weaving Lebanese food, traditions and family values into Sierra Leonean life. To this day, the two peoples share a unique heritage.
Words of Mahdi, from the Lebanese community in Sierra Leone
15 July 2026 — Culture and Colonialism
A prevailing myth states that European colonialism brought culture to Asia, Africa, North and South America. However, these continents had independent cultures of their own for many millennia. Culture is fluid and ever changing, but it's not from one continent.
15 July 2026 — This is Algeria
Algerian culture was shaped over thousands of years and many civilisations: Phoenician, Roman, Arab, Ottoman and French. Its Amazigh and Arab communities have blended traditions, languages and customs over time. Family, hospitality and respect for elders sit at its heart. This is reflected in couscous, chorba and the music of Raï, Chaabi and Kabyle.
Words of Mehdy, from Algeria
14 July 2026 — What are Commentaries?
This is the debut of our short-form journal on everything we hold as culture. With a focus on preservation and heritage, this is where we share our insights, thoughts and the stories which show that culture matters. From Vigatour, to you.
-
Garanzia di cura a vita
Ogni capo è coperto a vita. Le prime due riparazioni sono gratuite: spedizione inclusa, senza limiti di tempo. Questa garanzia segue il capo, anche nelle mani di chi lo erediterà.
-
Artigianato rigoroso
Durata, comfort e integrità non sono mai in discussione. Da Vigatour, preservare la cultura inizia dal realizzare capi che durano.
-
Fatto per attraversare le epoche
Ogni capo è ancorato a una civiltà, un movimento o un'epoca reali. Non moda di stagione. Una testimonianza viva del perché la cultura conta.