Actress, Gloria Sarfo, says the trajectory of her family nosedived when her father went for a peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
According to her, she grew up in a very happy family but things turned sour when her father, a soldier, went for that mission.
“We had a good time growing up as kids but it got to a point my father went for the very first Liberian war. That was very tough moment for us because we heard a lot of things happening over there… Their time was prolonged and almost everybody who had a father there always lived in fear.”
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia from 1989 until 1997. The conflict killed around 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement of the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations (ECOWAS).
She pointed out that, although her father returned unhurt, “the very first night he arrived, he got hurt. The fridge door hit his leg. It was a huge pain; it was serious. We were just surprised. He was hospitalized.”
This situation, she indicated, will sow the seeds for the divorce of her parents.
“From there, things became a bit tough. Going to school was a problem. We were six, we had other family members with us so it was really tough. It got to a point there was nobody to turn to.”
According to her, the timing of the split almost caused her to fall for the numerous temptations that could have destroyed her as young and beautiful lady.
In an interview with Stacy Amoateng on Restoration, Gloria said “they divorced at a time when my father was almost retiring. He said he was going to build in his village.
“I had started appearing on TV. It was really tough. If I were stubborn at the time, I’d have been worse because as a woman, I was mushrooming. There were so many temptations that came my way but I just had to be tough.”
Describing her father as a disciplinarian, Gloria commended her mother’s sacrifices for their family and most of all her ability to “tolerate whatever she was going through.”
She disclosed that her mother once vowed to stay in her “tough” marriage “until the last born is of age… Our last born was about 16 years before my mother left the marriage.”
In the face of this, she indicated that because of her forcefulness she was able to take care of her family in that difficult period.
“But I used to do a lot of things. Anything I could find my hands on, I tried to do it. At that time, I had started doing voiceover so whatever I made from it had to come home. When I’m called for a gig, I already have a budget because I had a family to feed. I took care of the family for quite a number of years.”
Gloria Sarfo recently laid her mother to rest.
Source: pulse.com.gh
