Madagascar on Tuesday held an emotional state ceremony to mark the return of three skulls taken to France during the colonial era, including one believed to be that of King Toera, the Sakalava ruler who was beheaded by French troops in 1897.
The remains, kept in Paris for 128 years, were officially handed over by France on August 27, 2025, following a 2023 law that streamlined the restitution of human remains taken during its colonial conquests.
Arriving in Madagascar late Monday, the skulls were received at the airport by members of the Sakalava community dressed in traditional robes.
Each skull was placed in a box draped with the Malagasy flag and escorted under tight security through the streets of Antananarivo to the national mausoleum.
President Andry Rajoelina, government officials, and Sakalava leaders attended the solemn ceremony, which combined state protocol with traditional rites.
The remains will later be transported to Belo Tsiribihina, on Madagascar’s west coast 320 kilometres from the capital where they are expected to be buried in a traditional royal ritual.
The Legacy of King Toera
King Toera, remembered for his resistance to French colonial expansion, was captured and executed by decapitation in 1897.
His skull, along with those of two of his warriors, was taken as a colonial trophy and displayed in France’s National History Museum in Paris, where hundreds of other Malagasy remains were also kept.
Madagascar gained independence in 1960, but the scars of colonial violence remain a source of historical grievance for many communities.
At the Paris handover ceremony, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed that a joint scientific committee had verified the remains were of Sakalava origin.
However, experts could only “presume” that one skull belonged to King Toera, given the absence of definitive forensic proof.
Dati emphasized that France was committed to returning human remains taken during its imperial rule, noting that the 2023 law eliminated the need for special parliamentary approval in each case.
In recent years, France has also repatriated Benin’s royal treasures, as well as artefacts to Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, in an effort to address longstanding calls for restitution of looted heritage.
For many in Madagascar, the return of King Toera’s skull is more than a symbolic gesture. It represents a step toward historical justice, acknowledging the brutalities of French colonization and restoring dignity to the Sakalava people.
Speaking at the ceremony, local dignitaries described the moment as both painful and healing: a reminder of past injustices and an opportunity to honour their ancestors with the burial rites denied them for more than a century.