Culture war brews over iconic figurine

Possible loan of artifact to UK museum sparks debate over sophisticated precolonial heritage

For years, South Africa's apartheid government ignored the significance of a "golden rhino" figurine that provides undeniable proof of a sophisticated society existing before white men arrived.

But since the end of racist rule in 1994, the stunning object - just 15 mm long and more than 700 years old - has become a defining symbol of precolonial civilization in South Africa.