Laurène Southe

Laurène is a creative writer and freelance photographer based in Vienna, Austria of Congolese descent. As early as the age of three, she moved back and forth to her neighbouring country of Switzerland, attending several prestigious boarding schools on the borders of France for almost a decade. During her residence, she was mainly taught in French, English and German and therefore, speaks and writes in all three languages fluently. In 2011, Laurène relocated to South East London where she received most of her secondary education. Whilst a middle school student, she also attended the Anna Fiorentini Theatre and Film School, building there a strong passion for writing.

In her free time, the little starlet could be found jamming with her school’s jazz band and practising for countless hours and eventually passing many of her grades for the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). After returning back to her hometown of Vienna, Laurène faced many obstacles and became reluctant to the point she no longer felt like she had a voice of her own.

This resulted in her exploring new avenues such as fashion photography and becoming the youngest member of the Vienna African Writers Club organised by the University of Vienna. Moreover, she also became the first Austrian member to join the Black Women Photographers, a global community supported by top companies such as The New York Times, Nike, Nikon and more.

In the beginning of the year 2020, Laurène decided to take matters into her own hands and began showcasing her many talents publicly.

Now her main known practises are poetry, songwriting, essays and articles for several acclaimed publications across the world. As of late, Laurène performed at the first Austrian Diaspora Festival, took part in the ‘An der schönen blauen Donau’ group exhibition and she is currently producing her first poetry collection titled ‘Child Of Congo’ to be expected in 2024. No matter the challenge and how many years it takes to put her point across, Laurène is no stranger to self-discovery and takes every opportunity she gets to express herself and leave a mark on the world.

Articles by Laurène Southe

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