France has returned three colonial-era skulls held in a Paris museum to Madagascar, 128 years after they were taken to France, including one believed to be that of a Malagasy king killed by French troops.
The skull, presumed to be that of King Toera and two others from the Sakalava ethnic group, were formally handed over at a ceremony held at the French Culture Ministry on Tuesday.
France has sought to confront its colonial past by returning artefacts and human remains from its museums to their countries of origin.
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the return of the skulls that had been stored at the Museum of National History in Paris as a “historic event” between France and Madagascar.
“This ceremony also symbolises the completion of a historical, scientific, and memorial process between our two nations,” she added.