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  Upbeat : Issue No. 5, 1994

  On 4 June five years ago Chinese students were gunned down in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Students had camped in the square for three weeks. They were on a hunger-strike. They were demanding that the Chinese government give the people of China democratic rights. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people joined the students in Tiananmen Square. They wanted to support the students. But on the night of the 3rd June1989, the Chinese army invaded Tiananmen Square. Hundreds of armoured vehicles, together with thousands of soldiers, moved into the square. More than 1 000 people; students, children and the aged, were killed. Thousands were wounded as the army opened fire. The dreams of the students' were crushed under the wheels of the army vehicles. In the months that followed over 6 000 people were
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 5, 1993

  Thousands of young people are not at school. Many more can't find jobs or are homeless with little to eat. Others are frightened and scarred by the violence that surrounds them. Apartheid has brought hardship and pain to millions of people in this country. Ongoing violence, poverty and poor schooling have left over three million young people without a decent education, jobs or opportunities to develop their talents. These young people have come to be known as 'marginalised youth.' Apartheid has left them with little hope for the future. The government doesn't care about them. Often their own families can't help them either. But they have not been forgotten. At the National Youth Development Conference youth, parents, teachers and political leaders debated and discussed ways to solve the problems of marginalised youth in our country.
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 4, 1995

  American movies and TV want us to believe that there is only one kind of beauty. Girls must be tall and slim and boys should be muscular and manly. Often young people feel bad about their bodies, because they don't look like movie stars or models. But what is beautiful depends on the society in which you live. Among the Masai in Kenya, thin boys are regarded as very handsome. Among the Kuna Indians the shape of your nose is what counts! Read all about them on page 20. 'Upbeat is better than hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.' That's what one reader told us. And she's right. Winter is here and that's the time to be indoors with a good read - Upbeat magazine. There's lots to read about that will warm your heart. Read about Mpho Serobe who's in the movie business. He admires people who's businesses have crashed. Find out why on page 34. It's a tough life for young prostitutes. But there are people who care. Meet them on page 4. The more you read the more you learn about yourself and the world around you. So keep warm and enjoy learning and reading from this month's Upbeat.
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 4, 1994

  Well, here we are, a month after the elections. Let us pray that everyone in our country will be able to put their differences behind them and work together to build a better South Africa. In this issue of Upbeat we speak to young people about the violence in Bophuthatswana before the elections. But there are also lots of fun stories for you to read. Meet Toni Braxton and find out more a sport that is taking over in South Africa - basketball. Finally there is a story about smoking and what it does to your body on page 12. If you are a beginner smoker, do the quiz at the end of the story and see if you really want to smoke.
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 3, 1994

  This month millions of South Africans will vote for the first time in their lives. So if you want to know more about voting, there is lots of information for you on pages 4 and 5. If you are over 18, read it and find out what to do on election day. If you are under 18, read it and teach your parents, neighbours and friends. It is also important to know how the new government will work and who is in the new government. Read about it on page 6 and use the map on page 10 to follow the election results. Most young people we spoke to are worried about violence on the days of the election. Some political parties have decided not to take part. Remember that voting is a personal decision. If your party is not taking part in the elections, please let others vote in peace.
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 2, 1993
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 8, 1992

  Forte High School in Dobsonville, Soweto has closed down. Students told us what went wrong.'Schooling was normal until hostel dwellers started bothering us. They did not want students to walk past the hostel. But the hostel lies between our school and the township,' explains Thapelo Mohapi, a Std 8 student from Forte. Masego Sekelema was also a student at Forte. 'In March, the hostel dwellers attacked our school,' Masego said. 'Police came in. We thought they would stop the attack. But they shot teargas into the school. One of our students was seriously hurt.' So the principal of Forte called a meeting. At the meeting people agreed that Forte should close. Students' lives were in danger. Since then, Forte students have been attending school at three primary schools in Molapo. 'This arrangement is better than nothing,' said Florence Smith who is in Std 9. 'But we find it difficult to travel so far and it costs our parents money.'
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  Upbeat : Issue No. 8, 1990

  In July this year, 180 rural communities in the Natal Midlands received very good news. For more than 40 years the government has threatened 160 000 people living in Matiwane's Kop, Steincoalspruit, Cornfields, Stoffelton, Roosboom and Thenbalihle with forced removal. The government told them that they couldn't live there. This area was for whites only. But the communities said they wouldn't go. They had been living in this area for many years. In fact, their families had been living there for more than 200 years. So they decided to fight to stay. Early this year, community leaders met in Pietermaritzburg. They launched a campaign against the forced removal. They also sent a long letter to the Minister of Cooperation and Development. A few months later, the community leaders announced their victory to their communities. The government had backed down. They were not going to force the people to move.