A Capetonian is leaving messages of hope and kindness with one goal in mind… to remind South Africans that they are loved!
Western Cape, South Africa (08 March 2022) – We are all influenced by the things we see every day; our moods, actions and behaviours are affected by the visual world around us. Imagine if that world was filled with hope and kindness? Well, Cape Town is… thanks to one man on a mission!
Dean Duke Biersteker started sharing the “hope signs” at the beginning of Lockdown to remind people that there was a reason to smile even though we were facing tragedy. But the 46-year-old says that the idea actually all started in 2007 when he changed his email signature with a small smile. He wanted to share kindness in his communication.
“The lockdown changed us; it made us all a little sadder. We were less connected, and hardly anyone was greeting each other. So I created a big sign on a bright yellow board and blue text saying: Smile,” Biersteker explains.
The sign was placed in his car, and the proud South African says it made such a positive difference to everyone who saw it while he was driving to the shops.
“The sign worked! People would see it and actually smile.”
That’s when Biersteker started making signs to leave in places. He knew that he wanted people to keep smiling, to keep being happy.
At first, he kept the “Smile” boards, which he placed at major traffic circles in his area.
The wooden signs soon turned into placards. Biersteker says that he now finds places to leave them where they can be seen – stuck to lamp posts, wooden barriers, almost anywhere and everywhere.
“It’s not a simple task; it takes time, but it’s what I enjoy doing, and I see it as part of a service of spreading love and support to my community,” he said.
The messenger of hope says the most beautiful thing about the project is that even though the signs are random, they were never really given out randomly.
“They were all taken by whoever needed the messages written on them.”
Check out some of his signs below:
by 