Cruise People Limited (Your Cruise People) has announced the termination of its second edition of “Afro cruise” which was to take effect from Friday, August 18, to Monday, August 21st, 2023, in Greece and Turkey.
In a news brief posted on Facebook by Cruise People Limited, it said the management of Mohammed Sharrif famously known as Black Sherif has refused to honour the agreement between the two parties.
The Cruise People Limited engaged Black Sherif’s booking agent, United Talent Agency (Echo Location Talent Agency) to pay an amount of $40,000 for his performance.
An initial amount of $20,000 would be paid to him to firm up the agreement and in return he would record a video confirming his participation and availability for the said show on the cruise ship on the agreed dates, it said.
The company proceeded to pay the initial deposit via swift bank transfer to his London account as agreed and the artiste acknowledged receipt of payment.
The brief said, following a series of email correspondences between Cruise People Limited and Black Sherif, the company reiterated that they needed the video recording of him confirming his performance on the cruise ship on the dates agreed.
The short video would be used to elicit enhanced marketability of the event.
Given the firm assurances, the Cruise people Limited went ahead to make deposits and secured cabins on the cruise ship and other incidental arrangements in anticipation of the event, it said.
However, “Black Sherif refused or neglected to make the video clip available to them to be broadcasted on the agreed date”.
“As a result of his failure to confirm his participation, the cabins on the cruise ship which were paid for and reserved at a discounted price had to be cancelled.”
“Deposits were lost since the expected interests and patronage of the event could not be guaranteed”, it added.
Nonetheless, several reminders were sent to his agent.
The company’s lawyers wrote and informed him, his management and booking agents on Friday, May 23, 2023, about the breach of agreement and had no response.
However, they reported the incident to the police and proceeded to court for redress, it said.
First edition of the “Afro Cruise Jam” which was held last year, featured Grammy awards winner Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage fame and Abrantie Amakye Dede and his Apollo High-Kings.