EGREM - Areito Records (cover designer: unknown), "Conjunto Folklórico Nacional," c. late 1960s. Vinyl LP, 33 RPM.

The cover photograph captures performers from Cuba's National Folkloric Ensemble in full traditional costume, dancing along a stone pathway in an outdoor garden setting filled with cacti and tropical vegetation. The stylized red-orange hand-lettered title "CONJUNTO FOLKLORICO NACIONAL" curves across the top of the image in a playful, organic font that evokes the fluid movements of Afro-Cuban dance. The colorful ceremonial costumes visible in the photograph—featuring elaborate fabrics, ritual garments, and traditional Afro-Cuban religious attire—signal the album's mission to document and preserve Cuba's rich heritage of African-derived folkloric traditions. The vibrant yellow Areito record label features the Taíno mask logo and identifies this as part of the "ESTO ES CUBA" series performed by Conjunto Caney.

Founded in 1962 as part of revolutionary Cuba's commitment to preserving and elevating Afro-Cuban cultural traditions, the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional became the premier institution for presenting the music, dance, and ritual practices of Cuba's diverse African heritage. This album documents multiple sacred and secular traditions across both sides. Cara A features Yoruba religious music with chants to orishas (deities) Eleggua, Obatalá, and Changó, followed by Conga music including "La tumba pakú," "Mokotóm," and Palo songs. Cara B presents Abakuá secret society music with "Canto de Wemba" and processional marches, pre-Columbian influenced pieces, and concludes with secular rumba forms including "Ave María morena" and comparsa (carnival) congas.

The extensive liner notes by Rogelio A. Martínez Furé provide detailed ethnographic context for each musical tradition, explaining the religious significance of Yoruba chants, the history of Abakuá society rituals brought from the Calabar region of Nigeria, and the evolution of Congo-derived music in Cuba. The notes emphasize how these traditions, once marginalized or suppressed, were being rescued and elevated by revolutionary Cuba as essential components of national identity. This album served both as documentary preservation and as popular education, making sacred and folkloric music accessible to Cuban audiences while maintaining the integrity and spiritual depth of these Afro-Cuban traditions. The Conjunto Folklórico Nacional's performances demonstrated how African cultural retentions had not merely survived in Cuba but had evolved into sophisticated artistic expressions central to Cuban national culture.