عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

'Road to Humanity'…on the Teachings of Confucius

"Road to Humanity" book by Wael Al Saidi.
"Road to Humanity" book by Wael Al Saidi.
TT
20
TT

'Road to Humanity'…on the Teachings of Confucius

"Road to Humanity" book by Wael Al Saidi.
"Road to Humanity" book by Wael Al Saidi.

The Cairo-based Dar al-Hikma has recently released a new book entitled "Road to Humanity" by writer Wael Al Saidi, in which he explores the ideas and teachings of the Chinese Philosopher Confucius using his expertise and work as an Arabic language expert in Chinese universities.

On Confucius, he says, the Chinese mentor and intellect, is an act that requires an alerted mind and the exploration of successive eras and many readings because he had an attractive, impressive and unique character. He always called people to practice grace, good morals, peace, righteousness, family care, justice, and obedience, in addition to many other virtues, chivalry traits, and call for humanity.

The book is written in the form of a dialogue accompanied by the ideas and teachings of the Chinese mentor. It focuses on questioning the human matters our world suffers from and comparing them with these teachings.

The writer notes that all the challenges facing humanity today like cruelty, wars, domination of powers that we sometimes see in families, inside the same state, or between different states are the result of missing the meaning of duty as a human value.

When Confucius was once asked by one of his students about wisdom, he answered: "Wisdom is the fulfillment of duties to the human community."

Commenting on this, the writer said: "We don't need to sign deals to buy weapons that kill humans, or establish more human rights centers that don't ensure these rights, or fight everything and spend money and even lives to reach power. All we need is to return to our humanity and sane instinct; we need to revive morals, hope and values which were highlighted in Confucius's lessons.

"This would help spread justice, tolerance, mercy, coexistence, equality, and objectivity among humans."

Most Viewed

 
Culture

Mexican Authorities Accuse Adidas of Cultural Appropriation in Their Sandal Design

Marina Nunez Bespalova, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Cultural Development, speaks during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference at the National Palace to condemn Adidas and US designer Willy Chavarria over the “Oaxaca Slip On” shoe, accused of misappropriating a sandal design rooted in Zapotec Indigenous heritage, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 8, 2025. (Presidencia de Mexico/Handout via Reuters)
Marina Nunez Bespalova, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Cultural Development, speaks during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference at the National Palace to condemn Adidas and US designer Willy Chavarria over the “Oaxaca Slip On” shoe, accused of misappropriating a sandal design rooted in Zapotec Indigenous heritage, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 8, 2025. (Presidencia de Mexico/Handout via Reuters)
TT
20
TT

Mexican Authorities Accuse Adidas of Cultural Appropriation in Their Sandal Design

Marina Nunez Bespalova, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Cultural Development, speaks during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference at the National Palace to condemn Adidas and US designer Willy Chavarria over the “Oaxaca Slip On” shoe, accused of misappropriating a sandal design rooted in Zapotec Indigenous heritage, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 8, 2025. (Presidencia de Mexico/Handout via Reuters)
Marina Nunez Bespalova, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Cultural Development, speaks during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference at the National Palace to condemn Adidas and US designer Willy Chavarria over the “Oaxaca Slip On” shoe, accused of misappropriating a sandal design rooted in Zapotec Indigenous heritage, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 8, 2025. (Presidencia de Mexico/Handout via Reuters)

Mexican authorities are accusing sportswear company Adidas of plagiarizing artisans in southern Mexico, alleging that a new sandal design is strikingly similar to the traditional Indigenous footwear known as huaraches.

The controversy has fueled accusations of cultural appropriation by the footwear brand, with authorities saying this is not the first time traditional Mexican handicrafts have been copied. Citing these concerns, local authorities have asked Adidas to withdraw the shoe model.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that Adidas was already in talks with authorities in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca to provide "compensation for the people who were plagiarized," and that her government was preparing legal reforms to prevent the copying of Mexican handicrafts.

The design at the center of the controversy is the "Oaxaca Slip-On," a sandal created by US designer Willy Chavarría for Adidas Originals. The sandals feature thin leather straps braided in a style that is unmistakably similar to the traditional Mexican huaraches. Instead of flat leather soles, the Adidas shoes tout a more chunky, sports shoe sole.

According to Mexican authorities, Adidas' design contains elements that are part of the cultural heritage of the Zapotec Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, particularly in the town of Villa Hidalgo de Yalálag. Handicrafts are a crucial economic lifeline in Mexico, providing jobs for around half a million people across the country. The industry accounts for around 10% of the gross domestic product of states like Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacán and Guerrero.

For Viridiana Jarquín García, a huaraches creator and vendor in Oaxaca's capital, the Adidas shoes were a "cheap copy" of the kind of work that Mexican artists take time and care to craft.

"The artistry is being lost. We're losing our tradition," she said in front of her small booth of leather shoes.

Authorities in Oaxaca have called for the "Oaxaca Slip-On" to be withdrawn and demanded a public apology from Adidas, with officials describing the design as "cultural appropriation" that may violate Mexican law.

In a public letter to Adidas leadership, Oaxaca state Gov. Salomón Jara Cruz criticized the company’s design, saying that "creative inspiration" is not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that "provide identity to communities."

"Culture isn't sold, it's respected," he added.

Adidas responded in a letter Friday afternoon, saying that the company "deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico’s Indigenous people and recognizes the relevance" of the criticisms. It requested to sit down with local officials and to discuss how it can "repair the damage" to Indigenous populations.

The controversy follows years of efforts by Mexico's government and artisans to push back on major global clothing brands who they say copy traditional designs.

In 2021, the federal government asked manufacturers including Zara, Anthropologie and Patowl to provide a public explanation for why they copied clothing designs from Oaxaca's Indigenous communities to sell in their stores.

Now, Mexican authorities say they're trying to work out stricter regulations in an effort to protect artists. But Marina Núñez, Mexico's undersecretary of cultural development, noted that they also want to establish guidelines to not deprive artists of "the opportunity to trade or collaborate with several of these companies that have very broad commercial reach."