Year in review 2021 (part 2) - 31st December, 2021

July 2021 saw Cuban dance troupe Datway take centre stage with their fusion of hip-hop and local dances. Their fame was down to the Caribbean island recently gaining access to the Internet.

However, while Cuba had dance fever, there was sweltering heat across North America, hitting record highs.

"It was like 90 degrees at midnight or some - or 80 degrees or something - it was crazy."

Across the pond, regions of Western Europe were inundated whilst back in the States, Branson and Bezos blasted off into space, inaugurating the space tourism industry.

Jeff Bezos: "We're going to build a road to space, so that our kids and their kids can build the future. And we need to do that. We need to do that to solve the problems here on Earth."

After having been postponed in 2020, August 2021 saw Japan play host to the Olympics but failed to host spectators who were forced by the pandemic to take in the games from home.

Takako: "I'm Japanese and because of the Covid, I couldn't go back to Japan. That's why I went to see the Olympic Games on a big screen in the UK."

Greece launched its first subaquatic museum, attracting archaeology, history and sub-aqua enthusiasts.

Hans Jurgen Fercher: "It makes it special and unique that it's a combination of diving and archaeological diving. It's diving into history."

September thrilled Abba lovers globally with the 70s pop icons' comeback album and a futuristic virtual tour.

Hakan: "I'm knocked out! ABBA is back! ABBA is back! ABBA are avatars!"

Meanwhile New York commemorated the 9/11 attacks' 20th year in a solemn candle light ceremony in remembrance of the 2977 fatalities and the resilience of the nation's people as highlighted by the then president George W Bush.

George W Bush: "In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people. "

September into October saw the news replete with matters of liberty. We witnessed Hatian refugees' predicament at the Mexican-US border. Britney Spears was finally triumphant in her long standing battle over her conservatorship and art installation Little Amal, traversed 2000 kilometres to the UK from Syria, bringing awareness to the child refugee crisis.

Jude Law: "It just seemed the most brilliant way to celebrate, try and raise awareness and share with the people who have taken a similar path to little Amal."

In November, the climate and the environment were on everyone's lips as world leaders met to strategise and negotiate, concluding with Glasgow's COP26, where climate activists from around the world were joined by Greta Thunberg to call for alacrity.

Jenny Rise: "A lot of politicians are scared of the power of this movement and that we can achieve something."

As 2021 wound down and Covid remained ever present, we turned our gazes to both traditions and the future. Teachers in South Korea have been aided by robots in the classroom, the Caribbean island of Barbados has cut colonial ties, becoming a new republic, and in Sweden, gingerbread houses are stirring up the public's curiosity in architecture.

Sara Sandell : "So it's a lot of things that go with architecture and the design but also it's fun and everybody loves gingerbread houses!"

So what has 2022 got in store?