Initial fears saw the House of Nationalities as an instrument
to be used against major ethnic communities. But all cultures
have the same sig-nificance, and all are in need of the same
protection. Although the various communities may be different
in culture and in size, all communities count with an equality
of rights.
There were worries that the House of Nationalities might
become an obstacle for building a modern state. But Somaliland,
where the tribal house called «Guurti» prepared
the ground for the establishment of modern institutions, provides
a reassuring experience, and so could Botswana, where a "House
of Chiefs" was set up by the country's modern constitution.
Concerns were also raised that a House of Nationalities
in the South Sudan might separate the South from its immediate
neighbours to the North. However, tribal structures also exist
in the North, the East and the West of Sudan. Different Houses
of Nationalities could therefore be created in the other parts
of the country. By giving cultural diversity a political recognition,
the House of Nationalities will make an important contribution
to a new vision of a nation-state for the whole of the Sudan.