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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
(about 5 hours later)
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 — President Obama touched down in Cuba on Sunday, pledging to interact directly with the Cuban people and accelerate engagement between the United States and Cuba after more than a half-century of hostility.
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 is the first sitting American president to visit in nearly nine decades, and Cubans of all political persuasions had eagerly awaited his arrival.
“Can I make a phone call?” he said he asked, as officials made copies of every document in his bag. “No,” came the reply. But hours before Air Force One landed at José Martí International Airport, the challenges inherent in normalizing relations with a Communist police state were laid bare, as dozens of arrests were made at the weekly march of Ladies in White, a prominent dissident group.
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. The protest, which takes place most Sundays outside a suburban church here, was widely seen as a test of Cuba’s tolerance for dissent during the presidential trip, and the arrests confirmed that Cuba was maintaining its long history of repressive tactics, if not intensifying their reach.
“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.” For Mr. Obama — who is scheduled to meet Tuesday with dissidents including the leader of Ladies in White, Berta Soler — the detentions threw a spotlight on the core challenge of the visit: how to work with the Castro government while expressing concern for its handling of human rights and free expression.
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. “We thought there would be a truce, but it wasn’t to be,” said Elizardo Sánchez, who runs the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation. He noted that the arrests had taken place “in the moment that Obama was flying in the air to Cuba.”
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. Security and control are mainstays of any country preparing to host the president. But Cuba, a nation still working out just how much to open up to the world — and to its own people — after decades of isolation, has gone above and beyond to prevent embarrassing surprises.
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.” The baseball game where Mr. Obama will watch Cuba’s national team play the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday is an invitation-only event, with most seats going to government loyalists. Some of the Old Havana shops near where Mr. Obama strolled on Sunday evening had been ordered to stay closed. The police have been sweeping up prostitutes from nightclubs and beggars from the streets.
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. Mr. Sánchez, who is among the dissidents expected to meet with the president on Tuesday, said that in the first two weeks of March, 526 critics of the government had been detained. While dissidents are often held for a few hours for printing fliers, staging street protests or even just planning them, he and others said Mr. Obama’s visit had set in motion a broader campaign to keep people in line.
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. On Saturday, Mr. Sánchez himself was held for three and a half hours at the Havana airport. He said he had been separated from his wife; sent to a cold, windowless room; and told that he was not being “detained” but rather “retained.”
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. “Can I make a phone call?” he said he had asked, as officials made copies of every document in his bag. “No,” came the reply.
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. “It’s the climate of intimidation the government is creating for Obama’s visit,” said Mr. Sanchez, a graying, steady critic of President Raúl Castro’s government. “Right now what you see is preventive repression, so it does not occur to anyone to say anything to Obama while he is here.”
“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!” 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 a calibrated friendship.
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. No matter what Mr. Obama says about freedom during his three-day stay, the Cuban government has made it clear that Cubans of all ideologies will be expected to behave.
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. “The government of Cuba is like a father,” said Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a former Cuban diplomat who writes about the country’s political dynamics. “Strong, but worried about the family.”
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. For the United States, there are more visible signs of change. Billboards lashing imperialism a few months ago now denounce violence against women, or mosquitoes or laziness. And beautification is suddenly competing with decay.
“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. Fresh blue paint graces the baseball stadium ahead of Tuesday’s game. With a rush of repaving, much of Mr. Obama’s route through the city could be mapped out by the scent of fresh tar.
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. But the Cubans’ response to all this improvement is not simply appreciation: After decades of you’ll-get-what-we-give-you government, their version of thank you often comes salted with sarcasm.
“Everyone wants to know how we Cubans feel about Obama coming,” said Yamile Suárez, 36, shrugging near a freshly 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!”
Control is the subtext. Some Cubans describe the government’s efforts as the directing of an elaborate, predictable performance. “The government manipulates everything,” Mr. Sanchez said.
Other countries certainly engage in similar acts of stage management and repression — China, for example. And José Daniel Ferrer, an opposition activist in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, said that while pressure from the government had increased in recent months, it was largely in response to growing activism.
“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 had been arrested and released in the past week, Mr. Ferrer said. He added that the authorities were watching his house full time, making him wonder what will happen when he leaves it to attend the gathering of about a dozen dissidents with Mr. Obama at the United States Embassy 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 and activists Manuel Cuesta, Antonio Rodiles and Dagoberto Valdés Hernández, Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Sánchez said. How the Cuban government and local journalists respond to that event, as well as 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. One young reporter who works for a major government news outlet said he had been brought into a room two weeks ago along with his colleagues and reminded that anything 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.
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. 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.
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. It is clear that the flow of information in Havana is increasing. Wi-Fi hot spots around the city can be easily found, just by looking for crowds of young Cubans gathered in clusters, staring at smartphone screens.
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. Elaine Díaz, an independent journalist in Havana and a former Nieman fellow at Harvard, said her reporting and that of her colleagues who cover contentious issues, like housing, were being passed around with increasing frequency, by email, zip drive and private networks.
“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.
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 — who spent the weekend discussing his detention with foreign reporters, who could visit, and members of the alternative Cuban news media, who called in — said change would depend not on Mr. Obama, but rather on Fidel Castro, the architect of the 1959 revolution that led to the rupture with the United States; President Raúl Castro, his brother;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.”