Raïssa Yowali

Author, playwright, and performer Raïssa Yowali was born in Brussels to parents who are both Congolese. She is the eldest child in her family. In 2024, she published a self-published collection titled *D’aussi longtemps que je me souvienne, je me suis pensée au masculin pour embrasser les filles* (For as long as I can remember, I’ve thought of myself as male in order to kiss girls), for which she received the Jury Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the Fintro Prizes for Francophone Literature. She has also contributed to several anthologies, including *En Lettres noires* (published by Midis de la poésie) and *(Grands)-mères en Lumière* (published by maelstrÖm). In 2025, she won the Prix Paroles Urbaines and also received the Audience Award in the same competition. Her new collection, *Les Mille soleils de Busu Jano*, was published by L’Arbre de Diane in January 2026. Her performance *SMOGGG* is currently in production. She also works as a cultural journalist and contributes occasionally to various film and performing arts magazines.