An older waiter and four young men chatting in the kitchen area are oblivious of Elian's return, even though the restaurant is within a mile of the very esplanade where the protest marches are staged in front of the American Interests section. While many Cubans were honestly moved by the father's desire to be reunited with his son, lassitude and distrust of Cuba's two strident TV channels caused others to tune out. Nor was the propaganda subtle. It is true that domestic TV occasionally displayed bits of CNN's Spanish-language Elian coverage. But rather than expose Cubans to US-based commentators, the government chose to dub the tape with Cuban voices.
Nothing gets through.
For many, the Elian crisis simply brought months of government pressure, they say. Take the marches. They did not exactly develop spontaneously. At the University of Havana, officials kept a list of which students and professors joined Elian protests. Missing more than one march meant risking unemployment, says Fernando, a professor.