The emergence of a sense of community and a common set of values among zongo people results from multiple processes of sociocultural integration which take place in all fields of social life. In politics, economics, in their marriage and kinship relationships, immigrants from varied cultural backgrounds learn to cooperate, accept each other's differences, and discover areas of common interest. Frequent interaction in these different domains leads to the development of new values which characterize and guide life in Kumasi zongo, and which differ from the traditional values of each immigrant group. The dynamics of these processes of integration are most easily observed in the domestic field, which is also the primary context for the development of a sense of common identity among the immigrants in Kumasi.

The typical dwelling unit in Kumasi zongo can be regarded as a microcosm of the zongo community itself, for each house is composed of unrelated individuals from many ethnic communities, who live together in a confined area. In this chapter the factors which affect household composition, the kinds of relationships that develop between coresidents, and the ways in which these contribute to social integration are described. Because very few dwellings are self-contained social units in any sense, it is also necessary to consider relationships which link individuals who live in different houses and different neighborhoods – links of kinship and common ethnicity.

There are two complementary processes which contribute to integration in the domestic field.