Question: Yeelen (Bambara for "brightness"/"light") is a 1987 Malian film directed by Souleymane Cissé, though the era is undefined, it is presumably set in the 13th century in which empire in West Africa, from 1230 to 1670?

Context articles: Rail Band
Guimba the Tyrant
The Wind (1982 film)
Mali Empire
Waati
Balla Moussa Keïta
Abderrahmane Sissako
Tell Me Who You Are (film)
Souleymane Cissé
Yeelen

The Rail Band is a Malian band formed in 1970; it was later known as Super Rail Band, Bamako Rail Band or, most comprehensively and formally, Super Rail Band of the Buffet Hotel de la Gare, Bamako.
 Its fame was built upon the mid-20th century craze for Latin — especially Cuban — jazz music which came out of Congo in the 1940s.
 The Rail Band was one of the first West African acts to combine this mature Afro-Latin sound with traditional instruments and styles.
 In their case, this was built upon the Mande Griot praise singer tradition, along with Bambara and other Malian and Guinean musical traditions.
 Their distinctive sound came from combining electric guitar and jazz horns with soaring Mandinka and Bamabara lyrical lines, African and western drums, and local instruments such as the kora and the Balafon.
 At their height of fame in the 1970s, the Rail Band played to sold out venues and even stadia across West Africa, and launched solo careers for many of its members, including the legendary vocalist Salif Keita.
Guimba the Tyrant (French: "Guimba, un tyran, une époque" ) is a 1995 Malian comedy drama film in the Bambara language (with some Fula language components), directed by noted Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko.
 The movie shows the rise and fall of a cruel and despotic village chief "Guimba", and his son "Jangine" in a fictional village in the Sahel of Mali.
 Some of the storytelling was done through the medium of the village griot, and with the film being placed in an old setting, lends an epic touch to the movie.
 The exact chronological setting of the movie is difficult to ascertain, being set in an isolated village, but the commonly used weaponry shown is the blunderbuss (however one scene outside the village features a neem tree, a species introduced to Africa during the colonial period).
 The film depicts some magical components, including a solar eclipse brought on by magic.
 Casting was only partially done from among professional actors.
The Wind (Bambara: "Finye" ) is a 1982 Malian drama film directed by Souleymane Cissé.
 It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.
The Mali Empire (Manding: "Nyeni" or "Niani"; also historically referred to as the Manden Kurufaba, sometimes shortened to Manden) was an empire in West Africa from 1230 to 1670.
 The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Musa Keita.
 The Manding languages were spoken in the empire.
 It was the largest empire in West Africa and profoundly influenced the culture of West Africa through the spread of its language, laws and customs.
 Much of the recorded information about the Mali Empire comes from 14th century North African Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta and 16th century Moroccan traveller Leo Africanus.
 The other major source of information is Mandinka oral tradition, through storytellers known as griots.
Waati is a 1995 Malian drama film directed by Souleymane Cissé.
 It was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.
Balla Moussa Keïta (1934 – March 6, 2001) was a Malian actor and comedian, and a West African cinema pioneer who was well known in the West (especially France).
 Born in the Ségou Region of Mali, he was originally a radio producer.
 He later turned to acting and acted in a number of movies by notable Mali directors like Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Souleymane Cissé and Abdoulaye Ascofaré.
 Among his critically acclaimed roles are those of the tribal king "Rouma Boll" in "Yeelen" and as Mambi in "Guimba, un tyrant, une époque".
 He received the Best Male Interpretation award at the FESPACO for his role in the Guinean film "Séré, le témoin".
Abderrahmane Sissako (born 13 October 1961) is a Mauritanian film director and producer.
 Sissako is, along with Ousmane Sembène, Souleymane Cissé, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Djibril Diop Mambety, one of the few filmmakers from Africa to reach a measure of international influence.
 His film "Waiting for Happiness" ("Heremakono") was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard, winning the FIPRESCI Prize.
 His 2007 film "Bamako" received much attention.
 Sissako's themes include globalisation, exile and the displacement of people.
 His 2014 film "Timbuktu" was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tell Me Who You Are (also known as Min Ye, French: "Dis-moi qui tu es" ) is a 2009 Malian drama film directed by Souleymane Cissé.
 It was given a special screening at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Souleymane Cissé (born April 21, 1940) is a Malian film director.
Yeelen (Bambara for "brightness"/"light") is a 1987 Malian film directed by Souleymane Cissé.
 It is filmed in the Bambara and Fula languages, and is based on a legend told by the Bambara people.
 Though the era is undefined, it is presumably set in the 13th century in the Mali Empire and is a heroic quest narrative featuring magic and precognition.