Madagascar recovers colonial-era skulls from France in 'historic' restitution

Madagascar has received three human skulls taken by French colonial troops during a massacre in 1897, in what both countries hailed on Tuesday as a “historic” restitution.

The remains, one of which is believed to belong to King Toera of the Sakalava people, had been kept for over a century at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the French news broadcaster BFMTV reported.

They were seized after French forces carried out a deadly attack on Ambiky, the former royal capital of Menabe, during the early phase of colonisation.

“These skulls entered the national collections in conditions that objectively contravene human dignity and in a context of colonial violence,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said at the Paris ceremony.

'Open wound in the heart'

Malagasy Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara described their absence as “an open wound in the heart of our island for more than a century, 128 years.”

The skulls, transported in trunks draped in traditional fabrics, were handed over to Malagasy authorities on Tuesday and will be flown to Madagascar on August 31.

They are set to be buried following several days of ceremonies.