Returning bones to Madagascar doesn’t just right a colonial wrong: why a royal skull still has power

By Maurizio Esposito La Rossa, Associate Professor of Anthropology, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)

France’s Ministry of Culture handed over three Malagasy skulls to Harea Georges Kamamy, the reigning king (ampagnito) of the Sakalava people in Menabe, a western region of Madagascar, on 26 August 2025. The skulls had been held for more than a century in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris.

One was identified as belonging to Toera, the Menabe king killed by French colonial troops in 1897. When handed over, it was placed in his…

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~	US government is pushing to gain unprecedented access to your medical records – as data protections are weakening

~	The Medicines Patent Pool is improving access to essential medication where it’s most needed, but does it make economic sense?

~	Iraq: Government must chart a new course by ending impunity and upholding human rights

~	Autistic people often struggle to tell when they’re too hot. Here are five ways to help

~	Comedy shows and college mysteries – the best things to watch, visit and read this week

~	Traffic-calming schemes are controversial – here’s why some succeed while others fail

~	How a 19th-century estate agent offered 3D property ‘walkthroughs’ before the dawn of the photography age

~	How diabetes can affect your ability to control the pedals while driving

~	US Military Claims Legal Compliance Amid Unlawful Killings

~	Americas: Regional Conference on Population and Development must uphold international commitments on gender equality