History
Madagascar’s Returned Royal Relics: More Than Just History
On August 26, 2025, France returned three human remains, including a skull believed to belong to the 19th-century Menabe king Toera, marking the first full application of a 2023 French restitution law. While DNA testing remained inconclusive, the Sakalava community accepted the remains through ritual spirit mediums, highlighting a deep tension between state-managed heritage and living indigenous sovereignty.