The King and aristocracy maintained a higher standard of living through relatively heavy taxation of their subjects as the majority of people participated in the production of rice.
During Colonial times the Manjaco voted against their chiefs and the Portuguese for greater freedoms and when they were not successful tended to choose to work as migrant laborers in French Senegal or British Gambia where there were superior economic opportunities.
[6] One of the catalyzing events for the independence movement occurred in 1959 when dockworkers in Bissau went on strike and over 50 Africans were killed during the unrest, many of the people being Manjaco.
Rather than choosing to fight with the Portuguese or the PAIGC many young Manjaco men chose instead to flee to nearby Senegal for better work opportunities and a more stable life.
The exodus of Manjaco men coupled with a long period of drought during the fight against colonial rule many of the rice paddies fell into disrepair and were destroyed by sea water.
Political attitudes during colonization and during independence have remained relatively stable and the Manjaco have tended to focus on a few key elements of government.
These attitudes meant that the Manjaco generally had little opinion on the independence movement and rather supported whichever government would more greatly benefit them and their lifestyle.
Their other goal is to get rid of certain aspects of Manjaco culture that the group viewed as backwards and contributed to the exodus of young men from village life.
However, these youth while creating impact are a small sect of society and the majority of their peers are still opting to move abroad or outside of the homeland for better opportunities.
The organization found its roots from old Manjaco practices of banju or spaces for young unmarried men to live and discuss village life as well as catholic missionaries who encouraged youth to perform cultural skits.
The club then morphed with the wake of the revolution and became aligned with revolutionary politics supporting independence but soon after Portuguese forces left the group disaffiliated with the nationalist party on account that the Manjaco had remained non-aligned during the conflict.
During this ceremony men are initiated to the group and engage in a government style discussion over what customs and traditions should be revisited, changed or abolished.
At the Kambatch of 1986 the men decided to change two things about Manjaco society, the practice of groom service and the existence of a cult of divination.
In Manjaco society groom service was the practice of young boys or men going to work in the fields of their future bride's family.
[11] Many Manjaco households within the traditional homeland have an ancestor shrine made up of carved wooden posts which represent people, these are referred to as pitchap.
The carved posts while appearing to represent individual people, as interpreted by the Portuguese colonists, are actually collectivist representations of ancestors in general.
Men in general ask for peace over the household and have short remarks while women tend to discuss the daily occurrences and keep the ancestors updated on village and family life through lengthy conversations.