THE FRIENDSHIP BENCH

Feature Documentary

DIRECTOR: Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt
PRODUCER: Graham Leader
EXEC PROD: Bill Roy, Pam Roy

SYNOPSIS

In 2006, Dr. Dixon Chibanda, a psychiatrist in Zimbabwe, was ordered by the government to deal with the severe mental health crisis afflicting the nation. However, there was literally a handful of psychiatrists in the entire country, which meant searching for a solution beyond conventional medicine. That forced him to consider grandmothers (Gogos) as his only option. Starting with a group of 14 Gogos, he began training them in cognitive therapy to treat depression on public benches. 

By creating a narrative tapestry through the stories of the Gogos and the lives of their clients, the film explores Dr. Dixon’s visionary initiative of establishing a Friendship Bench within communities everywhere. His initiative has since expanded throughout Zimbabwe into neighboring countries and beyond to communities all over the world.