Was 2021 the year in which female politicians finally made an important breakthrough in Luxembourg? That suggestion would do a disservice to the likes of Colette Flesch, Astrid Lulling, Viviane Reding and Lydie Polfer to name but a few women who could be called pioneers in the field. But the appointment of Yuriko Backes as Luxembourg’s first female finance minister (she will take up office on 5 January) and the enduring popularity of Paulette Lenert (the first woman to consistently top the TNS Ilres poll) will have given aspiring female politicians fresh hope that maybe the grand duchy’s government might one day be led by a woman.

This year also saw strong women like OGBL president Nora Back, equality activist Jana Degrott and continue to make a mark and pursue important goals for those who often don’t have a chance to voice their opinion or express their concerns.

2022 will see Esch take on the Capital of Culture crown with a woman, Nancy Braun, at the helm, while Mudam shows some sort of continuity by welcoming yet another female director, Bettina Steinbrügge taking over from Suzanne Cotter

Delano’s new team

Delano has hired six new staff since March, and we now have a team in place that in 2022 can allow us to build on the ambitious goals we have set ourselves. That is to continue to publish accurate and unbiased news, to provide readers with insight into complex issues and into the mindset of decision makers, be they government ministers, business leaders, captains of finance or those influencing the cultural scene. But we also want to help set the agenda and pursue the issues that matter to our readers.

Importantly perhaps, given that one local newspaper wrote an article decrying the lack of female journalists in Luxembourg, our team (and the two editor-in-chief roles) is equally balanced between the sexes.

Female voices

2021 was a great year for female musicians. 20 of my personal top 40 tracks of the year are by women or feature female singers.

The likes of Cassandra Francis, Lonelady, Japanese Breakfast, Joy Crookes, Arlo Parks, Jane Weaver, and Gemma Cullingford among the new discoveries of the year. Courtney Barnett, Snail Mail and Sharon van Etten & Angel Olsen continued to win deserved plaudits with new material in 2021.

The live highlights of the year were two sit-down concerts. Francis of Delirium’s fabulous orchestral concert at Rotondes and the aforementioned Cassandra Francis providing enchantment and wit in the other Rotondes, at the Botanique in Brussels