Harea Georges Kamamy, king of the Sakalava of Menabe, carries the presumed skull of his ancestor, King Toera, during a restitution ceremony to Madagascar, at the French Ministry of Culture in Paris on August 26, 2025. STÉPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
The Malagasy authorities want the return to be as solemn as possible. On the evening of Monday, September 1, three Sakalava skulls are scheduled to arrive at Antananarivo airport. With this restitution, the French government is implementing for the first time the 2023 law that facilitates the return of human remains from its public collections. The following day, a state ceremony is set to take place at the Ambohitsaina Mausoleum, in the Malagasy capital.
On August 26, an initial ceremony was held in Paris. King Harea Georges Kamamy, with a serious expression, walked forward in the hushed setting of the French Ministry of Culture, under the gaze of Minister Rachida Dati, and her Malagasy counterpart, Volamiranty Donna Mara. In his hands, the Sakalava monarch held a chest covered with a bright red traditional fabric containing the presumed skull of King Toera, his great-grandfather, who was beheaded by French colonial troops in 1897 during the battle of Ambiky.
