King James released the video for his latest song, Igitekerezo, on Wednesday, and it has since generated many comments and reactions on social media platforms. The video features a female albino called Claudine Mukarusine. The R&B singer, born James Ruhumuriza, released the video two months, after dropping its audio, and so far the video has garnered 70,506 views. The video, produced by producer Fayzo, has gained more popularity. The singer has been hailed for his creativity that they believe every local artistes should learn from. The song has since had massive airplay across different stations and was among the best hits that rocked 2018 since King James released it in November, last year. While working on the video project, King James shared that he thought of using an albino in his video to spread the message that the feeling of love goes beyond what people think. “The idea to use her in the video was to prove that love doesn’t care whether someone is tall or short, with or without a disability, black or brown, love leads you. The positive feedback I received when I released the audio motivated me to think of something creative so I can deliver a better video product and I am excited that people are loving it,” King James told The New Times. “Some people with disabilities feel alone and shy within their communities when it comes to love. So I had to use her in the video to raise awareness that people with disabilities, especially albinos also deserve to love and be loved like any other and I was very excited that she welcomed my idea because she did not hesitate to confirm my request to include her in the video,” he added. Claudine Mukarusine, the albino who appears in King James’ Igitekerezo video, said she was surprised with how people reacted to the song. “ Since the video came out, I received plenty of phone calls today [Thursday], some congratulating me on my acting skills in the video while others have been joking around that I have an affair with King James. I have met several people in the neighborhood who’ve told me that they saw me in the video. It really surprised me a lot because I did not expect that it would go this far,” Mukarusine, said. She revealed that it took her around two days to confirm whether to appear in the video but later realised that it had nothing against her values and she discovered that it would be a form of advocacy for people with disabilities, especially albinos, in one way or another. “At first, I could not imagine why King James chose an albino to act in his video because I am not used to showbiz. I even wondered ‘what if people don’t like the video and I get to face criticism that he used an albino in the video?’, but, because we are in a country that promotes social inclusion, I later changed my mind,” she said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
