The album was recorded for the World Circuit label by producer Nick Gold and engineer Jerry Boys at Sonoland Studios, Madrid, Spain, in 2010.

[citation needed] The idea behind AfroCubism was the original concept for the Buena Vista Social Club album of 1997, which featured many of the same Cuban musicians.

This concept however, was thwarted when the Cuban visas for the Malian musicians were delayed in the post,[3] and producer Nick Gold instead called on the services of Ry Cooder, whom he had recorded with Ali Farka Touré for the 1994 World Circuit release Talking Timbuktu.

[5] The musicians involved in AfroCubism already had successful careers through participation in the Buena Vista Social Club or as solo artists.

[7] The album was praised by AllMusic reviewer James Allen, who described it as "a true musical meeting of minds between the two cultures [Cuban and Malian]".