Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader, explains why she decided to accept the BBC's invitation to give the 2011 Reith Lectures.

Her two lectures will discuss the themes of dissent and liberty and will part be of a wider series titled 'Securing Freedom'. This will feature three more lectures, to be given by the former director general of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller.

Aung San Suu Kyi's lectures will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on Tuesday, 28 June and 5 July. Eliza Manningham-Buller's lectures will be broadcast in September. All five lectures will be available to download via the Reith Lectures podcast.