Tikan (TEE-kahn) has become an annual summer event in Fond des Blancs. It is a four-on-four football (soccer) tournament that is held for 7-10 nights in the market area of Santon, the central village. It gets its name from the goals that are used for street football. They're about 2 ft x 2 ft at the most. I don't know how anyone manages to score but they do.

They're playing on a large concrete platform as this is the only large surface here that can be lit at night, and I'm sure I saw a couple of the players in bare feet. It was quite dark and next to impossible to take decent photos.

The crowd got bigger each night, and so did the concessions. Everything was available from fried plantain and meat, to corn puffs, cookies, and candy. You could get soda, beer, sport drinks, and moonshine. Some come out just for the social aspect of it.

There's lots of music, and the event is sponsored by St. Boniface so it is an opportunity for public health messages, including HIV/AIDS prevention.

This year it was organized by three young men we know: Yves Florant, Pierre Edy and DJ Carter. It was fun to watch them come up with a project proposal, fundraise, and agonize over the budget, just like everyone else does. They did a great job with the event.

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