A Uniting Bench
The Friendship Bench is inspired by a Zimbabwean NGO movement dedicated to improving mental wellbeing and quality of life. The concept originates from community benches where elders would sit and share stories, offering conversation and support that helped alleviate mental health challenges. During the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) led an initiative linking mental health awareness with sport during the global event.
Commissioned by WISH in collaboration with the World Health Organization and endorsed by FIFA, a series of illustrated banners was created for the Friendship Benches representing the nations participating in the tournament. Installed and distributed across the eight stadiums in Qatar, the artworks celebrated each country through its flag colors, cultural symbols, landmarks, and architectural heritage. Abbara was commissioned to produce eight illustrated artworks representing countries from North and South America.
North America
Transforming simple acts of conversation into public art, the Friendship Bench project reimagines shared spaces as places of empathy, cultural expression, and collective wellbeing during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
South America
Published Articles
The 32 ‘Friendship Benches’ distributed across the eight stadiums received wide media coverage, including a Qatar Tribune article titled,
“A Friendship Bench is a healing bench, says artist…”