Just like in the case of the Rogers Centre (née SkyDome), it will likely take a while for Toronto residents to think of the former Yonge-Dundas Square as Sankofa Square, the new name that the attraction will officially adopt on a just-announced date next month.
Yes, as of this week, we have a formal opening date for the downtown site under its controversial new moniker: Saturday, August 23, when a kick-off celebration will take place.
Though the renaming process has been in the works for many months, this day will mark the inaugural event in Sankofa Square, which will have a new mandate, new programming, new signage and even new board members than the public plaza did in its previous, long-running iteration.
A release sent on Monday confirms that the final touches of the rechristening journey are finally being wrapped up, with the public invited to take part in the “historic cultural milestone” of a debut next month.
The all-day event will include Indigenous and African ancestral ceremonies to open the new square, DJ sets and other live performances, public art displays, Caribbean Film Festival screenings and a ton of activations from various cultural organizations.
And, of course, there will be the big reveal of the new Sankofa Square logos and displays, which, it was revealed last year, were expected to cost some $200,000.
“Anchored in the theme ‘Looking Back, Building Forward,’ the event commemorates UNESCO’s International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, also known as Sankofa Day,” the June 14 release reads.
“This powerful, free, full-day event marks a significant new cultural tradition for Toronto, rooted in remembrance, healing, and the vibrant future of the Square.”
Many might notice that after the Sankofa name was selected by the city in late 2023 and the Yonge-Dundas signage was quietly removed the following spring, things have been pretty slow-going — that is, aside from multiple petitions asking that Dundas assets, including Yonge-Dundas Square, maintain their original labels.
Along with concerns that the new name is potentially equally or even more problematic than Dundas — ironically for the same reason, ties between the name and the slave trade — there were questions about the evidence to back up the renaming argument, the cost to taxpayers, the lack of a due consultation process, and more.
The chair of the square dramatically stepped down in light of some of these points in December 2023, saying that while he was all for the renaming, “the lack of a consistent, public review to evaluate this decision has been disjointed and lacking good governance.”
“This is not the process I would expect to see for a legacy decision impacting a landmark Toronto public square,” he added.
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