Roshan Doug, one the West Midland's best known Asian poets, was born in 1963 and, like many thousands of Commonwealth citizens, has made his home in this region. Here, he looks back on the 20th century with mixed feelings and hopes for a new millennium when tolerance will triumph over bigotry and wisdom over superstition.

Two events of the 20th century remain firmly in my mind. They both concern the concept of freedom.

The first is the Chinese students' demonstration in Tienanmen Square in 1989: a student standing alone in front of a tank, courageously defying the authorities of the Chinese militia.

For me it was an unsettling reminder of the thin line between social freedom and social captivity, between choice and subjugation.

Throughout history people have been ruling us through their personal ideology, which is more often than not, tainted with a dwarfed, blinkered perception of reality.

Hitler comes to mind. So do Mussolini, Napoleon, General Haig, and Alexander the Great.

My other image is from the same year and relates to the Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses controversy when thousands of Muslims burned his book as a protest against his presentation of Islam.

As a writer and an educationalist, I am concerned about people burning books and demanding the death of an author on the grounds that he has written something with which they do not agree. This is absolutely astounding!

We must not fear knowledge. Not only do we need to allow freedom of expression, but we must do our best to encourage it by creating an environment of social, religious and political tolerance.

Now, let us learn from the lessons of all our yesterdays.

Let's turn our backs towards superstition and fear, and hail freedom, tolerance and knowledge, for today and tomorrow and every day.