Yusuf Àlàbí Balógun (Àrẹ̀mọ Gemini) is a poet, storyteller, TEDx speaker, and art specialist devoted to Yorùbá arts and culture. Recipient of the Horn of Afroclassical Merit Award (2018), he dreams of selling out London’s O2 Arena with a showcase of Yorùbá oral traditions.
He has performed at Felabration, Aké Arts and Book Festival, Lagos International Poetry Festival, Goethe-Institut, and the San Francisco International Arts Festival, and was principal performer at the commissioning of the John Randle Centre for Yorùbá Arts and Culture. He is a fellow of The Building Bridges Residency Project, organized by Simply Poetry Foundation and Ford Foundation.
Àrẹ̀mọ is the author of the Yorùbá novels Ṣẹ̀gílọlá Arómirẹ́ Ògìdán, winner of Best Thriller Book at The Africa Laureate Awards 2026, and Ìṣẹ́pẹ́, as well as the picture book When The Bulldozers Came, published under Ouida’s book imprint, Tanja. His work is rooted in grassroots realities, female emancipation, and marginalized voices.
For Àrẹ̀mọ, storytelling is a necessity: proof that even from a small room, the most urgent stories can be told. His debut poetry single, Kórì, is available on major streaming platforms.