As these lines are being written, the concentration is disturbed by screens, incoming messages, social media alerts, television broadcasts from national, international and Arab broadcasting networks. Yet another tragedy is evolving in a place that’s a few thousand kilometres away from our hometowns, but present in all chambers of our hearts. Moments like these make us wonder. What does the world need from arts and artists? What can our artform bring? Artivism, provocation, healing, distraction? And: who are the ‘we’, what is ‘our artform’? Let’s start by focusing on the potential power of ‘live’ and hope it may help us to search for our personal answer. Nan van Houte, former secretary general of the International Network for the Performing Arts (IETM), reflects on the importance of live art in bleak times.