IMAGINE a beautiful boulevard similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame but embedded with the names of noteworthy Guyanese who have made invaluable contributions to their country and you would have visualised the vision of Guyanese Author Jamall Adams.

Social media blew up with support for Adams on Tuesday when he created a Facebook page to give the public his artistic impression of what the boulevard he dubbed ‘The Avenue of Honors’ could look like.

The site pinpointed for the possible project is the median stretch along Main Street, Georgetown from its entry point at the Church Street intersection to the Lamaha Street intersection.

The design, thus far, that he shared with the public showed a glistening terrazzo floor much like Hollywood Walk of Fame but instead of the embedded brass stars, Adams depicted the Cacique’s Crown of Honour.

If developed, the Avenue of Honors would feature the likes of Guyana’s first President Arthur Chung; Guyana’s first Executive President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham; President Cheddi Jagan; Cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul and many more across various fields.

Speaking to the newspaper on Thursday, Adams said that he intends to pitch the idea to the Ministry of the Presidency; the Ministry of Public Infrastructure; the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).

Adams, a 33-year old, has written and published eights books and is credited with the creation of the Guyanese Alphabet Chart which depicts historic landmarks and places of interest in the country.

He stated that his idea for the development came from the Hollywood Walk of Fame which led him to realise that Guyana does not have many physical monuments which recognise the contributions of past and present individuals.

After two weeks of brainstorming, he came up with a visual outline for the project which he believes will create jobs; attract tourists and educate, especially young Guyanese, on local role models they can look up to.

“I think it will bring a sense of pride as not only will we be showcasing Guyanese but we’ll also be bringing tourists. I’m certain it’s going to be a tourist attraction,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t know of the people that would have contributed. We know of what is being taught in schools but there are tons of people that would have been behind the scenes that would have contributed. This is going to be a chance to give those persons a chance to live forever because, with the right maintenance, this can last forever.”

Off the top of his head, he mentioned other additional figures which he believes should be featured on the Avenue of Honors which included notable women in Government; sports personalities and more.

However, Adams says that the plan he has is that a Committee will be set up which will be the deciding body, through a stipulated process of public engagement, on which personalities are inducted to the Avenue of Honor.

He chose the Main Street location as it is one of the most significant and beautiful avenues in Guyana.

In the design of the project, Adams ensures that trees aligning with avenue would remain as well as the seating arrangements and the aspect of cleanliness.

When Adams completes his proposal, hopefully by the month’s end, he will have an estimate of how much the project would cost.

In an interview with the newspaper on the same day, Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, who also shared the concept of the Avenue of Honors on his Facebook page, stated that he is optimistic about the idea.

“I like the idea. But one thing we must emphasize is that it’s just an artist’s impression because I saw some comments with persons speaking about the negative effects in terms of drainage but that is just an impression. Obviously, we will have to take into consideration the draining system that is currently there so it wouldn’t disrupt that,” he said, adding:

“In terms of the actual idea, I love it. I think it’s most fitting to have such a Avenue of Honor in which we chronicle those persons, as Adams has put it, who have made significant contribution to the development of Guyana.”

Jones said that there are so many unsung Guyanese heroes who deserve to have people know their names and their contributions.

He also emphasized that the greenery in the location should be taken into consideration should the project be given a stamp of approval.
The Director of Sports took the opportunity to commend Adams and to encourage other young people to put forward innovative ideas geared towards the development of their country.

He stated: “For me, young people have a lot of innovative ideas and that is why, when I saw Jamall’s post, I jumped on it. I would want to encourage those young people to put their expressions out there. You give young people the opportunity to share you would be amazed in terms of what they have but are just waiting for the right forum or place to put their ideas out there.”