The official opening ceremony for the Sankofa Day Celebrations took place on Saturday, 23rd August, 2025 at the Sankofa Square, Toronto – Canada, formerly Yonge Dundas Square. The day and change of name from Yonge Dundas Square to Sankofa Square is very significant to the history of Ghana as it marks the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
The change of name is as a result of a two-year consultation process led by the Toronto city’s Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee comprising black and indigenous leaders, residents and business owners. The process to rename the iconic square in Toronto’s downtown core was precipitated by a petition that claiming that its namesake, Henry Dundas, a Scottish politician from the 1770’s to the early 1800’s was a major proponent in delaying the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade. Following two years of community consultation, research and discussion, the Toronto City’s Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee (CAC) reached consensus choice on the name “Sankofa Square” for Yonge Dundas Square.
Sankofa square hosted a full day celebration on 23rd August, 2025 marking the official launch and opening under the theme, “Looking Back, Building Forward” with cultural performances, art installations, music, sports, story telling, sale of made in Ghana products, Ghanaian foods, paintings, sculptures, etc. The Toronto Ghanaian community led by the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO) participated in the celebrations with the pride of Ghanaian culture and pageantry.
Representing His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama were the Hon. Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie and the Hon. Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. James Gyakye Quayeson. Speaking on behalf of His Excellency the President, Hon. Gomashie stated that “the renaming of the Yonge Dundas Square to Sankofa Square is not merely a change of name, it is an act of remembrance and an act of reclamation and an act of reparations. It is a bold step towards justice and healing not just for the people of Toronto but for all Africans, at home and in the Diaspora”. She further noted that “in renaming the Sankofa Square, Toronto sends a powerful message to the rest of the world that it is possible to face history with honesty, to dismantle legacies of oppression and commit to building an inclusive and equitable future. By choosing Sankofa, the city of Toronto affirms the importance of African heritage in the global struggle for freedom, justice and acknowledges the centrality of memory in the journey towards freedom”