Madagascar has received the remains of three historical figures from France, including a skull believed to be King Toera’s.
The restitution follows a new French law enabling the return of colonial-era human remains.
Madagascar has received the remains of three of its historical figures from France, including a skull believed to belong to King Toera of the Sakalava people, who was executed by French colonial forces in 1897.
The handover was marked by a solemn state ceremony on Tuesday at the Mausoleum in Antananarivo, attended by President Andry Rajoelina, senior government officials, and leaders of the Sakalava community. The skulls, placed in boxes wrapped in Madagascar’s national flag, were escorted through the capital by Sakalava representatives in traditional attire before being moved to Belo Tsiribihina, the king’s ancestral homeland, where they are expected to be interred later this week.
This restitution is made possible under a 2023 French law designed to simplify the return of human remains taken during colonial campaigns. Previously, such restitutions required separate legislation for each case. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati explained that while experts were able to confirm the Malagasy origin of the skulls, they could only reasonably assume that one belonged to King Toera.
The remains had been held for 128 years at Paris’s National Museum of Natural History, alongside hundreds of other artifacts from Madagascar. The transfer marks the first major return since the law’s adoption and reflects France’s broader effort to confront and reconcile with aspects of its colonial history.
