Louis van Niekerk
Encyclopedia
Louis Petrus van Niekerk (born 1985, Evander, South Africa
) is an international conservationist, explorer, freelance photographer and published poet.
Van Niekerk was raised in Empangeni in the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
He has obtained most of his conservation and wildlife experience in the Highveld
and Lowveld of South Africa. He has worked with many private game reserves in South Africa, including Thula Thula Private Game reserve, with Lawrence Anthony
the founder of The Earth Organization
, a privately registered, independent, international conservation and environmental group with a strong scientific orientation.
Van Niekerk's passion for poetry started at a very early age and he has been writing poems and short stories since he was 10 years old. He has published a number of poems with the Poetry Institute of Africa and has won various poetry competitions. A lot of his inspiration comes from visits to his grandfather's farm in Kokstad
, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the wildlife that he has been surrounded by all his life in Africa
. His poetry has a very African style, but he has written European style poems as well as epic poems. Although van Niekerk wrote English poems, he has also written a number of poems in his native language, Afrikaans
.
poems. A lot of these poems are about wildlife and nature, including the ocean, beach, mountains, rivers, floods, bushveld
, trees, evolution
, seasons, and various animals. His Afrikaans poems also has a strong Christian link. Van Niekerk's Afrikaans poetry has also been published and won local South African poetry competitions.
form to sonnets and free verse
.
Most of his work can be found on his online anthology
, called Louis van Niekerk - Poetry.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) is an international conservationist, explorer, freelance photographer and published poet.
Van Niekerk was raised in Empangeni in the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
He has obtained most of his conservation and wildlife experience in the Highveld
Highveld
The Highveld is a high plateau region of inland South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country, the Gauteng City Region, which accounts for one-third of South Africa's population.-Location and description:...
and Lowveld of South Africa. He has worked with many private game reserves in South Africa, including Thula Thula Private Game reserve, with Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony and raised in rural Rhodesia , Zambia, and Malawi, is an international conservationist, environmentalist, explorer, and bestselling author....
the founder of The Earth Organization
The Earth Organization
The Earth Organization is an international non-governmental organization which describes itself as "independent, grass roots, international non-profit, conservation and environment organization, with new solutions, committed to the creative, responsible rehabilitation of Planet Earth and the plant...
, a privately registered, independent, international conservation and environmental group with a strong scientific orientation.
Van Niekerk's passion for poetry started at a very early age and he has been writing poems and short stories since he was 10 years old. He has published a number of poems with the Poetry Institute of Africa and has won various poetry competitions. A lot of his inspiration comes from visits to his grandfather's farm in Kokstad
Kokstad
Kokstad may refer to:*Kokstad, Norway*Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa...
, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the wildlife that he has been surrounded by all his life in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. His poetry has a very African style, but he has written European style poems as well as epic poems. Although van Niekerk wrote English poems, he has also written a number of poems in his native language, Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
Afrikaans poems
Van Niekerk wrote most of his Afrikaans poems, or "gedigte" as it is known in Afrikaans, between the age of 10 and 15. A few of his Afrikaans poems were written as sonnets, although most were written as free verseFree verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
poems. A lot of these poems are about wildlife and nature, including the ocean, beach, mountains, rivers, floods, bushveld
Bushveld
The Bushveld is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa that encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of the North West Province of South Africa, the Central and North-East Districts of Botswana and the Matabeleland South and part of th Matabeleland North provinces of...
, trees, evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, seasons, and various animals. His Afrikaans poems also has a strong Christian link. Van Niekerk's Afrikaans poetry has also been published and won local South African poetry competitions.
English poems
Van Niekerk also wrote and published poetry in English, his second language. He seems to like writing poetry in different styles and genres. He has written children's poems, epic poems, love poetry and poems about nature. His poetry has surfaced in different styles ranging from the French rondeauRondeau
Rondeau is a surname with French origins. Some notable people with this name include:-People:*Jane Rondeau, the wife of Claudius Rondeau, an English minister in St Petersburg in 1720-1739...
form to sonnets and free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
.
Most of his work can be found on his online anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
, called Louis van Niekerk - Poetry.