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| Cuba’s Message to Its People: Be on Your Best Behavior for Obama | Cuba’s Message to Its People: Be on Your Best Behavior for Obama |
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| HAVANA — Elizardo Sánchez flew to Havana from Miami on Saturday, looking forward to meeting President Obama with other Cuban dissidents invited to the United States Embassy here on Tuesday. But at the airport, Cuban officials decided he would have to wait. | HAVANA — Elizardo Sánchez flew to Havana from Miami on Saturday, looking forward to meeting President Obama with other Cuban dissidents invited to the United States Embassy here on Tuesday. But at the airport, Cuban officials decided he would have to wait. |
| He was separated from his wife, he said, sent to a cold, windowless room and told that he was not being “detained” but rather “retained.” | He was separated from his wife, he said, sent to a cold, windowless room and told that he was not being “detained” but rather “retained.” |
| “Can I make a phone call?” he said he asked, as officials made copies of every document in his bag. “No,” came the reply. | “Can I make a phone call?” he said he asked, as officials made copies of every document in his bag. “No,” came the reply. |
| Three and a half hours later, Mr. Sánchez, a graying, steady critic of Raúl Castro’s government who runs the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, was set free, angry but unsurprised. | Three and a half hours later, Mr. Sánchez, a graying, steady critic of Raúl Castro’s government who runs the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, was set free, angry but unsurprised. |
| “It’s the climate of intimidation the government is creating for Obama’s visit,” he said on the patio of his pink house here. “There are dozens of other cases.” | “It’s the climate of intimidation the government is creating for Obama’s visit,” he said on the patio of his pink house here. “There are dozens of other cases.” |
| Security and control are mainstays of every country Mr. Obama visits. But Cuba — a police state still working out how much to open up to the world, and to its own people — has gone above and beyond to prevent embarrassing surprises. | Security and control are mainstays of every country Mr. Obama visits. But Cuba — a police state still working out how much to open up to the world, and to its own people — has gone above and beyond to prevent embarrassing surprises. |
| On Sunday, Cuban police officers surrounded by pro-government demonstrators detained dozens of protesters at the weekly march of the Ladies in White, a prominent dissident group, another sign of the clear message being sent to everyone on this gator-shaped island: Do not even think of disrupting this visit or doing anything to question our authority. | |
| No matter what Mr. Obama says about freedom during his three-day stay, Cubans of all ages and ideologies will be expected to behave. “The government of Cuba is like a father,” said Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a former Cuban diplomat who writes about Cuba’s political dynamics. “Strong, but worried about the family.” | |
| For decades, Cuban officials have treated every interaction with the United States as a test of sovereignty, and their approach to Mr. Obama’s visit is partly an effort to project competence, confidence and a new commitment to calibrated friendship. | For decades, Cuban officials have treated every interaction with the United States as a test of sovereignty, and their approach to Mr. Obama’s visit is partly an effort to project competence, confidence and a new commitment to calibrated friendship. |
| The propaganda has already changed. Billboards lashing imperialism a few months ago now denounce violence against women, mosquitoes or laziness. And beautification is suddenly competing with decay. | |
| Fresh blue paint now graces the stadium where Mr. Obama will watch Cuba’s national baseball team play the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. With a rush of repaving, much of Obama’s route through the city could be mapped with the scent of fresh tar. | Fresh blue paint now graces the stadium where Mr. Obama will watch Cuba’s national baseball team play the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. With a rush of repaving, much of Obama’s route through the city could be mapped with the scent of fresh tar. |
| This is what most Cubans have noticed, and their response offers a lesson about the Cuban psyche: After decades of you’ll-get-what-we-give-you government, appreciation often comes salted with sarcasm. | This is what most Cubans have noticed, and their response offers a lesson about the Cuban psyche: After decades of you’ll-get-what-we-give-you government, appreciation often comes salted with sarcasm. |
| “Everyone wants to know how we Cubans feel about Obama coming,” said Yamile Suárez, 36, shrugging near a repaved road in central Havana. “I’m frankly just happy that giant pothole finally got filled in, so if I have him to thank for it, thanks Obama!” | “Everyone wants to know how we Cubans feel about Obama coming,” said Yamile Suárez, 36, shrugging near a repaved road in central Havana. “I’m frankly just happy that giant pothole finally got filled in, so if I have him to thank for it, thanks Obama!” |
| Stronger forms of discontent, or trouble of any kind, may not emerge. The baseball game will be an invitation-only event filled with government loyalists. Some of the shops near where Mr. Obama will stroll through Old Havana have been ordered to stay closed, and the police have been sweeping up prostitutes from nightclubs and beggars from the streets. | Stronger forms of discontent, or trouble of any kind, may not emerge. The baseball game will be an invitation-only event filled with government loyalists. Some of the shops near where Mr. Obama will stroll through Old Havana have been ordered to stay closed, and the police have been sweeping up prostitutes from nightclubs and beggars from the streets. |
| Mr. Sánchez, who spends much of his time tracking the kinds of detentions he was subjected to on Saturday, said the government had also intensified its campaign of intimidation, making more than 1,000 arrests each month in the run-up to Mr. Obama’s visit. In the first two weeks of March, there were 526 detentions, he said. | Mr. Sánchez, who spends much of his time tracking the kinds of detentions he was subjected to on Saturday, said the government had also intensified its campaign of intimidation, making more than 1,000 arrests each month in the run-up to Mr. Obama’s visit. In the first two weeks of March, there were 526 detentions, he said. |
| Generally, people are held for a few hours — for printing fliers, for staging a protest in the street, or if the authorities suspect they plan to protest in the street, Mr. Sánchez said. But he and other opponents of the government said Mr. Obama’s visit had set in motion a broader campaign to keep people in line. | Generally, people are held for a few hours — for printing fliers, for staging a protest in the street, or if the authorities suspect they plan to protest in the street, Mr. Sánchez said. But he and other opponents of the government said Mr. Obama’s visit had set in motion a broader campaign to keep people in line. |
| “Right now what you see is preventive repression, so it does not occur to anyone to say anything to Obama while he is here,” he said. | “Right now what you see is preventive repression, so it does not occur to anyone to say anything to Obama while he is here,” he said. |
| Other countries engage in similar activities — China, for example. And José Daniel Ferrer, an opposition activist in Santiago de Cuba, said that while pressure from the government had increased in recent months, it was largely in response to growing activism. He said the government would have preferred to avoid detentions before Mr. Obama’s visit, but fear of peaceful protests had made them act otherwise. | Other countries engage in similar activities — China, for example. And José Daniel Ferrer, an opposition activist in Santiago de Cuba, said that while pressure from the government had increased in recent months, it was largely in response to growing activism. He said the government would have preferred to avoid detentions before Mr. Obama’s visit, but fear of peaceful protests had made them act otherwise. |
| “It’s the third law of Newton: The greater the actions for democracy, the greater the repressive reaction by the regime,” he said. | “It’s the third law of Newton: The greater the actions for democracy, the greater the repressive reaction by the regime,” he said. |
| Several of his organization’s members have been arrested and released in the past week, Mr. Ferrer said. He added that his house was also being watched full-time by the authorities, making him wonder what will happen when he leaves to attend the gathering with Mr. Obama on Tuesday. | Several of his organization’s members have been arrested and released in the past week, Mr. Ferrer said. He added that his house was also being watched full-time by the authorities, making him wonder what will happen when he leaves to attend the gathering with Mr. Obama on Tuesday. |
| He is scheduled to be one of about a dozen dissidents who will meet with the president at the United States Embassy. In addition to Mr. Sánchez, those invited include the blogger Yoani Sánchez; the Ladies in White leader, Berta Soler; and the dissidents Manuel Cuesta, Antonio Rodiles and Dagoberto Valdés, Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Sánchez said. | |
| How the Cuban government and local journalists respond to their meeting with the president, along with other elements of the visit, will be closely watched. | How the Cuban government and local journalists respond to their meeting with the president, along with other elements of the visit, will be closely watched. |
| Recent editorials in Granma, the state-run newspaper, have emphasized that Cuba would treat Mr. Obama with respect. They are being read by many here as marching orders, giving Cubans permission to criticize the trade embargo and not much else. | Recent editorials in Granma, the state-run newspaper, have emphasized that Cuba would treat Mr. Obama with respect. They are being read by many here as marching orders, giving Cubans permission to criticize the trade embargo and not much else. |
| But beyond Mr. Obama’s speech on Tuesday, which will be broadcast on national television, it is not even clear how much Cubans will get to see or hear. | But beyond Mr. Obama’s speech on Tuesday, which will be broadcast on national television, it is not even clear how much Cubans will get to see or hear. |
| One young reporter who works for a major government news outlet said he was brought into a room two weeks ago along with his colleagues and reminded that anything they posted to social media regarding Mr. Obama’s time in Cuba would result in more than just a slap on the wrist. No photographs, no commentary, no interviews with foreign reporters; not even private discussions with friends. | One young reporter who works for a major government news outlet said he was brought into a room two weeks ago along with his colleagues and reminded that anything they posted to social media regarding Mr. Obama’s time in Cuba would result in more than just a slap on the wrist. No photographs, no commentary, no interviews with foreign reporters; not even private discussions with friends. |
| “It’s censorship,” he said. “You can’t say anything good or bad.” | “It’s censorship,” he said. “You can’t say anything good or bad.” |
| Some independent journalists and scholars maintain that the government has loosened the reins since Dec. 17, 2014, when Mr. Obama and Mr. Castro announced the restoration of relations. It is clear that the flow of information in Havana is increasing. Wi-Fi hot spots around the city can be easily spotted now. Just look for crowds of young Cubans gathered in clusters, staring at smartphone screens. | Some independent journalists and scholars maintain that the government has loosened the reins since Dec. 17, 2014, when Mr. Obama and Mr. Castro announced the restoration of relations. It is clear that the flow of information in Havana is increasing. Wi-Fi hot spots around the city can be easily spotted now. Just look for crowds of young Cubans gathered in clusters, staring at smartphone screens. |
| Elaine Díaz, an independent journalist in Havana and a former Nieman fellow at Harvard, said that her reporting and that of like-minded colleagues who avoid opinion but cover contentious issues, like housing, was being passed around with increasing frequency, by email, zip drive and private networks. | Elaine Díaz, an independent journalist in Havana and a former Nieman fellow at Harvard, said that her reporting and that of like-minded colleagues who avoid opinion but cover contentious issues, like housing, was being passed around with increasing frequency, by email, zip drive and private networks. |
| “We’re focusing on the problems in Cuba that are separate from the United States,” she said. “We’re focused on what’s happening here.” | “We’re focusing on the problems in Cuba that are separate from the United States,” she said. “We’re focused on what’s happening here.” |
| Whether that or something else leads to broader civic and economic change, and when, is the question that all Cubans seem to want answered. | Whether that or something else leads to broader civic and economic change, and when, is the question that all Cubans seem to want answered. |
| Mr. Sánchez — sitting outside Saturday evening, discussing his detention with foreign reporters who could visit, and members of the alternative Cuban news media, who called in— said that would depend not on Mr. Obama, but rather on Fidel and Raúl Castro and their families. | Mr. Sánchez — sitting outside Saturday evening, discussing his detention with foreign reporters who could visit, and members of the alternative Cuban news media, who called in— said that would depend not on Mr. Obama, but rather on Fidel and Raúl Castro and their families. |
| “What the government gives, it can take away in a second,” he said, silencing a cellphone in his pocket. “What we need is reform; what we need are laws. That’s what will create real change.” | “What the government gives, it can take away in a second,” he said, silencing a cellphone in his pocket. “What we need is reform; what we need are laws. That’s what will create real change.” |