Castro Brown, the promoter of Jah Cure's planned tour of Britain, is still hopeful that the singer will be granted a British visa in order to perform in that country later this month.

JAH CURE. trying to travel to England for tour

Jah Cure, the popular entertainer who came to prominence while in prison on a rape conviction, is scheduled to go on a tour of Britain from October 20 to 22. However, the Daily Mail newspaper's online edition reported earlier this week that Cure, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, has been banned by the British authorities from entering the country because of his prison sentence.

But Brown, whose New Name Music company is putting on the tour, said that Jah Cure has not been banned, but was refused entry on the grounds that he spent more than 12 months in prison.

Brown, however, said he is now in the process of seeking a waiver for the singer. "People saying that Jah Cure is banned from Britain, I want to make them know that Jah Cure is not banned. Jah Cure was refused entry, so there is a good chance that he may still get a waiver to enter the country," Brown told the Observer.

"The position is, we are trying to secure a work visa for Jah Cure. They didn't approve the first application, so we reapplied in an effort to get a waiver," he said. "Until I issue a press release saying that the tour is off, the tour is on. You must understand that the shows are absolutely sold out."

Brown also promised that if for any reason Jah Cure won't be able to perform in England, the fans who bought tickets will be refunded. "The money is still there, not being touched. They can always go and get back their money," he said.
Obviously boosted by Jah Cure's extraordinary appeal and popularity in England, Brown also said he would reschedule the tour for a later date if necessary.

Earlier this week, Jah Cure's publicist, Alison Young, issued a statement denying the Daily Mail report which said that British Home Office officials are understood to have barred Jah Cure from entry as his presence would not "be conducive to the public good".

"We are aware that there have been circulations on the Internet and other media that Jah Cure has been banned from Britain," Young said. "We would like to advise that the British authorities have communicated no such ban."

Young said that the Rastafarian singer has acquired a work permit for the UK and is now in the process of securing a UK visa, which is a separate application process, but no determination has yet been made on the issue.

"Until such a determination is made, we find it irresponsible that anyone would wish to purvey such erroneous statements."
Jah Cure, who turned 30 on Thursday, October 11, is now celebrating his birthday outside prison for the first time in eight years, having been slapped with a 12-year sentence in 1999.

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