As I inherited the spirit of exploration from my father Stevo Seljan, I researched legends, discovered new cultural perspectives from intellectual adventures, just as he lived with a yearning for adventures aimed at better understanding his own being, his world, and his time.
ZORA SELJAN
Zora Seljan (1918–2006) was a writer, playwright and journalist. She published eighteen plays and around a dozen books in various literary genres. Born in Ouro Preto, Zora spent most of her life in Rio de Janeiro.
After World War II, she became the first South American journalist to visit countries of the “Eastern Bloc,” which she depicted in her first book. Upon returning from Europe, she realized how little she knew about her own country. She then embarked on journeys across Brazil, observing and documenting various cultural phenomena. Along with Brazilian folklore, she found much inspiration in Candomblé, a syncretic religion developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil. Candomblé blends elements of West African cultures, Catholicism, and indigenous beliefs. She saw it as a reflection of Brazil’s authentic cultural roots and dedicated herself to incorporating West African mythology into the creation of a unique Brazilian theatrical expression. During the 1960s, she spent time in Lagos, Nigeria with her husband, Antonio Olinto, a Brazilian writer and diplomat, where they explored the ethnic and cultural connections between Brazil and Nigeria. The couple frequently visited Croatia and the Ethnographic Museum, and they donated 42 objects from Brazil to the museum’s collection.