Justice, joy and a terrible disease: Kugluktuk priest takes Proust Questionnaire

When Collis Machoko first stepped off the plane in 2003 from his home country of Zimbabwe to Canada, he says he got a disease.

A terrible disease, called accent.

Because of that disease, the congregation at the Iqaluit St. Jude’s Cathedral didn’t accept him to be their pastor after listening to the audio of his sermon.

“People always say, ‘We don’t understand him, he speaks English with a heavy voice,'” he said.

So Machoko was offered a position in Kugluktuk, where he has lived for the past four years.

The former professor of religious studies in several Canadian universities and sole pastor in Kugluktuk at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church recently took time to answer the Proust Questionnaire.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

There is a difference between happiness and joy.

Happiness can be something which comes either from drinking or smoking — it depends on the external aspects of things.

But for me, I like that inner joy. It means I can be poor or sick, but still have that joy of life.

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is that the church is no longer biblical. The church today sometimes follows popular culture instead of the Bible.  It’s all about popular culture nowadays

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I don’t think there is anything which I dislike about my appearance. I didn’t create myself; he who created me, created me in his own image.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would like to be more practical. And I would talk more about justice.

People always talk about love. Even the church is always saying, ‘Love, love, love.’ Love can be glossed. You can give me a hug, you can give me a kiss and say you love me.

I want justice. Justice to the poor, to the orphans.

Without justice, there is no love.

Where would you most like to live?

I would love to live where I get the most joy.

It doesn’t matter where; it’s not about the location.

What is your greatest regret?

I don’t have any regrets. Whatever comes… If our life is predestined, why should we regret?

What is your greatest achievement?

I didn’t achieve anything.

You see, it’s like some of these missionaries during British colonialism, they said they “discovered” the Makololo people [of southern Africa]. Were they hiding somewhere?

Or they would say they discovered the Victoria Falls. Black people always knew it was there, but then somebody comes from England and says he discovered it.

I believe in predestination. We bring nothing in this world and take nothing out of it — things go the way they are supposed to go.

Once in front of God, what would you tell him?

I was just guided by you to do whatever I did.

Nunatsiaq News is borrowing the old Proust Questionnaire parlour game to get to know people who are in the news. If you know someone in your community who our readers should get to know by taking this questionnaire, let us know by email: editors@nunatsiaq.com.