2022: the review edition
2022 is coming to an end, with 2023 merely hours away from us. But what happened this year and what does this mean?
2022 saw the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is still ongoing. Famous deaths included Pope Benedict XVI, Dame Vivienne Westwood and Brazilian football legend Pele all dying within a couple of days of 2023. The Queen died in September after 70 years on the throne, with Prince Charles becoming King. The year has also been detrimental for women's rights, with the legal right to an abortion lost in the USA, and a ban on women receiving university education in Afghanistan. In the UK, we had 3 Prime Ministers in one year, with Liz Truss breaking the record as the shortest-lived PM in office with 44 days. Rishi Sunak's appointment to office marked the first non-white individual to become PM in the UK, a positive sign of progress within British politics.
The year is the first "COVID-free" one in the UK at least, with no lockdowns and no masks. Education has resumed full time and there are no restrictions on gatherings, so this year has served as the official return to normality. That being said, there does seem to be an illness that everyone has had since November, and the UK has just imposed testing restrictions on travellers from China, with reports of COVID cases rising in their country. For me, I was able to fully return to activism, having the opportunity to travel to Belfast and Finland for projects. I met people from different countries and made new friends, taking full advantage of the in-person meetings to network.
2022 has been an extraordinary year: in terms of politics, in terms of celebrity drama, in terms of our monarchy. The Queen's death marked a new age for Britain's pathway into the future, and the Netflix documentary on her grandson will shape the public's view on whether a monarchy is still relevant in today's age.
I always wonder what each year will be remembered for in the years to come. 2016 stands out to me as a good year for music, but also the year of mass political change in the form of Brexit and Trump's election to the White House.
I will remember 2022 as the year things went to 'normal'; not just for politics or COVID, but the year I got to socialise with my friends and have fun, the way things used to be pre-COVID. 2022 is the year I got into different types of dramas and music, having the chance to explore and grow as a person.
Thank you, 2022, for all you gave us. You reminded us that every year has the potential to be better than the last.
*Header photo shows author photographed in St Peter's Square, Manchester, December 2022
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