Out Of Africa

Karen Togba-Trueh Has Worn A Path Of Quiet Strength

By Corey Stewart

Karen Togba-Trueh’s journey to North Carolina began in Liberia, in the capital city of Monrovia, where her father was the high-profile Deputy Minister of Defense. Her childhood was one of comfort — complete with a household staff and chauffeurs who ferried Togba-Trueh and her sisters to Saint Teresa’s Convent School each morning. Because of her father’s position within the then-ruling government, Togba-Trueh was accustomed to the armed men who guarded her family. “We were aware of the civil unrest, but we felt safe and secure,” the soft-spoken 36-year-old recalls.

That all changed in December 1989, when armed rebel forces opposed to the government entered Liberia. Within the next year, the forces would make their presence known in Monrovia.

History’s Lessons

Liberia is a small country, slightly larger than Tennessee, located on the west coast of Africa.  The area was colonized in 1822, by freed slaves, often with mixed racial ancestry, and free Africans from the United States. By 1847, the colony — a well-organized state by this point — was declared a Republic. While tension between the new settlers and the indigenous people was ever present, the government of Liberia was fairly stable for many years. In 1980, a military coup established a new, authoritarian government, which lasted for nearly a decade.

The rebellion of 1989 was the beginning of a civil war in Liberia that would last for over 15 years. Togba-Trueh’s family had no idea that their lives would be forever changed; they only knew that when the rebel forces entered the capital, their lives were at risk.

“We knew that we were not safe, because of my father’s position,” Togba-Trueh remembers. “We packed enough for what we thought would only be a two-week journey, and left behind all of our photographs and personal things.” With her mother and siblings, Togba-Trueh set out for neighboring Ivory Coast, where they knew no one, and did not speak the language. They stayed for six weeks. Rebels killed Togba-Trueh’s father three months after they fled to safety, and at that point the family knew they could not return to Liberia.

A New Life

Togba-Trueh, whose family was now headed by her mother, came to Richmond, Va., where she was able to enroll in high school. “The language of Liberia is English, so there was no barrier in that regard,” Togba-Trueh says.

Togba-Trueh is very quiet about the subject of her father, and about her experiences in Liberia in general. However, in the United States she managed to overcome her tragic childhood experiences. She was successful in her studies, completed high school, and went on to graduate from Shaw University in Raleigh, before marrying and moving first to Charlotte, and then to Gastonia.

Today, Togba-Trueh holds a master’s in hospitality and tourism management, and runs her own specialty cakes and event designs business, PureKaret. She credits her success to an incredibly strong family bond: her mother, who eased the transition into life in the United States and worked as a seamstress to support her children; her siblings; and her husband, El-Tumu, who is supportive of her entrepreneurial efforts and often lends a hand for large events.

She has not yet been back to Liberia, but hopes one day to return. “I’ve met hundreds of Liberians in the U.S., and everyone has a different story. They all came here from different situations and for various reasons,” she says. “It’s important for me to return at some point — to bring closure and to connect to that part of my life.” TCW