For me, moving from one place to another is just a necessary evil, but I feel the need to go somewhere (…) to understand the difference between us. Or between them (…) In reality, the differences are only superficial.
TIBOR SEKELJ
Tibor Sekelj (1912–1988) was a journalist, Esperantist, and travel writer. Born in Slovakia, he spent his childhood in Banat, and completed high school in Nikšić, Montenegro. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, and worked in journalism, film directing, dramaturgy, sculpture, and began learning Esperanto.
In 1939, he moved to Buenos Aires, where he stayed for the next fifteen years. He worked as a journalist, studied ethnology and archaeology, traveled to various parts of South America, and joined an expedition to Aconcagua — the highest peak in South America — during which most members perished. Sekelj turned his experience into the book “Storm over Aconcagua,” which became highly popular in Argentina. Upon returning to Europe, he settled in Belgrade and continued publishing books and traveling — to India, China, Nepal, Japan, Russia, East Africa, and other places. Sekelj was a polyglot, and he considered Esperanto the language of travelers, passionately promoting it throughout his life. His career was dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences through writing, lectures, films, and photography. In 1972, Sekelj became the director of the City Museum in Subotica and four years later earned a master’s degree in Zagreb, with the thesis “Ethnographic Museums for the Future.”