Liberia: Civil war nearly cut short, life-long career of a young T.V. camerawoman
“Mackieboy, I don’t know if you will meet me here, because it [illness] is getting hard. But just in case you don’t meet me, I want you to stay strong. One day God will make a way for you to come” [to the US]…dying former television journalist, tells her only son who’s studying in North Africa.
By James Kokulo Fasuekoi|Editor-Publisher
It was probably summer of 1987, when as a young news reporter-photographer, that I first stumbled upon a young female T.V. camera operator, named Palmer Gbaryu. She had joined the MICAT television news crew soon after Emmanual Z. Bowier, former press officer at the embassy in Washington D.C., arrived in Monrovia to head the MOI.
Palma stood on top of a jeep, wearing jeans, and with a T.V. camera steadily placed on the right shoulder, panned one scene after the other. This particular event was attended by some government officials including the Information Minister, Bowier himself.
Seeing the young T.V. camera-woman standing against the beautiful blue sky, my lenses couldn’t resist such a dazzling scene and before long, Palmer was featured on an entire page of my newspaper, the Daily Star. It would turn out to be the beginning of a new dawn for especially young Liberian girls wanting to carve a career in motion pictures or television journalism which had for years remained solely men’s.
Soon, another motion female camera operator, Demah Lorpu Salvage, of Bong County, Liberia, appeared on the national scene. She was followed by another enthusiastic peer, Marie Baryo Zar, from Grand Bassa. The two would eventually in fact become lifelong best of friends and also strong followers of Jesus Christ.
Mark Johnson, originally from Liberia, who later covered the first civil war for Reuters Television News still remembered when he first joined the MOI in 1989 and met Marie Zar, who then worked with MICAT-TV as a “Light Operator.”
He said he and Marie Zar worked together as “Light Operators”, mostly a beginner’s first assignment in television training and praised Marie to be a “good team member, always laughing and joking with coworkers.”
“Marie was dedicated to her career and lots of fun to work with. Marie [was] always cheerful” Mark wrote in a text in response to an inquiry by Global Ekklesia last March.
“She and I were lights operators. [Later,] We were promoted to camera operators and in a few months Taylor’s war ended everybody’s career,” Mark Johnson said of his colleague who received training under rigorous MICAT Television Director and Trainer, British-American trained cinematographer, late J. Forti Frank.
With a promising journalism career abruptly ended by Taylor’s dreadful war, Marie forcibly found herself and family at the Fendell University Campus, outside of the capital, Monrovia. There, she “nearly lost her life…because of the job she then had” with MICAT and LBS, read a Life Sketch at her funeral in Brooklyn Center, MN, last March. She died Jan. 29, 2023, and was 57.
Marie’s job as a national government television camera-operator, placed her life, and that of her only son’s Mack Elsa Turay, in total jeopardy the war moved to their community 1990, thus moving them to Fendell University campus, ran by ragtag NPFL rebels that sought out civilians from certain tribal groups, in addition to ex-Doe-government employees, such as Marie Zar, to be executed at the campus public square.
Marie love for Christ Jesus
At her wake keeping and funeral, March 3, and 4th, countless people including friends, relatives, former co-workers, churchmates, pastors and leaders, gave heartwarming testimonies about the deceased’s life: from her childhood days in the western Liberian old mining town of Tubmanburg, to her resettlement in the US and walk with JESUS Christ.
Long before US doctors diagnosed her of “stage four” cancer, she was found deeply in love with Christ and the things of God, according to her pastors and other department heads of her church, Christ Triumphant Outreach Ministries (CTOM) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
CTOM’s lead pastor, Rev. Stephen W. Cole, who eulogized, said Sister Marie Zar had even suggested during one of the church’s fasting seasons, how beautiful it would be for them to have a section of the church edifice fixed so they could stage “WAYLIDAY” there. “Wayliday” is the Bassa Language, means fasting and she wanted the entire membership to be going in and tarry all night.
She was also praised for doing good to her fellow Christians, her community, and always voluntarily giving monetary gifts toward the things of God’s Kingdom.
“Marie paid tithes for 15 consecutive years,” disclosed Pastor Stephen Cole. This is a mandate given to all Christians by God in the Books of Leviticus and Malachi but many Christians hardly honor it.
“She always showed up with an envelope in hand, if there’s an event,” said one woman who heads the church’s women’s department. She added that the “Women’s Department is devastated over your passing.”
Marie’s life sketch was emotionally read by her son Mark, she otherwise called, “Mackie Boy,” via a video stream from Morocco where he presently lives and studies while seeking means for a resettlement in the US.
“Mackieboy, I don’t know if you will meet me here, because it [illness] is getting hard. But just in case you don’t meet me, I want you to stay strong. One day God will make a way for you to come,” Marie sadly told her son as she lay in her dying bed.
The Mayor of Brooklyn Park, the city in which Marie resided before her death, spoke during the funeral and extended condolences on behalf of his city and people.
Dozens of national and community organizations the deceased served, lined up with wreaths and tributes, including the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA).
It appears no MICAT/LBS representative nor the GOL that Sister Marie so diligently served and nearly died for, midway through her career, was present during funeral rites.
She was predeceased by Sister Demah Lorpu Salvage, best friend, who passed at the height of the COVID, Oct. 22, 2020.
May their souls rest in perfect peace!
Banner photograph: Current ALJA secretary general, Mrs. Akai Glidden lays a wreath to the casket bearing remains of their late professional colleague, Marie Baryo Zar.
Editor’s Note: Editor is a former MOI journalism student of late J. Forti Frank, former British-American trained cinematographer from Liberia, West Africa.