A group of Batwa men and women in Uganda were evicted from their ancestral forest homes three decades ago in a move to conserve wildlife, struggle for a more dignified way of life around Echuya and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park is still in progress.

They are in praise of a good honey harvest but there is no harvest as the Batwa are no longer allowed to gather honey, or anything else, from the forest.

when men went for hunting, they would bring meat or honey as offerings to their families. They would hunt bush pigs and several types of antelopes. Their wives celebrated the bountiful hunt, cooked and danced. But they don't get these types of food anymore.

For centuries, they lived in forests of the mountainous regions on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo, as hunters and gatherers.

But in 1990s, the Uganda Batwa were evicted from the Bwindi, Mgahinga and Echuya forests in the south west of the country as the areas became wildlife parks, primarily for the protection of rare mountain gorillas.

"I want to go back to the way we lived.... Everything we needed, the forest provided. meat, fruits, and medicines," Mr Tumuheirwe a Mutwa tells.

The forests in the south western Uganda are the Batwa's ancestral homes. After their evictions, some Batwa families were given farmland by the government. But as they did not know how to farm, the land was sold off and many were scattered across the region surviving on charity from neighbors and non profit organizations.

Some Batwa are learning to farm on land rented for them by  charities in some communities. Attempts to do interviews with them are futile as many feel exploited by politicians and organizations and are hostile to outsiders. "You come here to take pictures and sell them. What do we get in return? I won't talk to you if you don't pay me" shouts one woman.

In 2011, a group of Batwa with support from non governmental organizations (NGOs) took the Ugandan government to court over the eviction and late last year, the constitutional court ruled in their fevour. It said that the community had been treated inhumanly and ordered "Fair and Just compensation" be paid with in 12 months, but the government intends to appeal.

The animals are being treated better than the Batwa, because when tourists come they pay some money, then the government uses the money and the Batwa are suffering. The  animals she speaks of are mountain gorillas. The government charges up to $700 to go gorilla tracking.

Conservation efforts have seen Uganda's  Mountain Gorilla population rise to 459 and more than 1,000 globally, meaning that they are no longer listed as critically endangered. But Mrs Nyamihanda wonders whether there could be a more sustainable way of protecting wildlife as well as Batwa rights.

The Uganda wildlife Authority says, it is doing a fevour by allowing the Batwa to take tourists into the forests and a fifth of the revenue collected from the park, goes to the near by villages through the local governments.

According to Uganda  Wildlife Authority's executive director, Mr Sam Mwandha, people including the Batwa, can come up with proposals to be funded using this money.

During this movement of the Batwa out of the forest, several errors were committed. But the allegations of not getting land, not allowing them to have their culture, is really misguided and not correct.

We are telling them "Go to schools and study, but we are (also) saying "Don't forget your culture. You can use it to make money.

Yes the Batwa want a place to call Home, and a recognition as an endangered indigenous people,so that they have better protection under the international law.

Compiled by Barnabas.