One of the founders of Viva Rio, anthropologist Rubem Cesar Fernandes is Master in Philosophy at the Warsaw University (Poland) and PHD in History of the Social Thought at the Columbia University (USA). Since he returned to Brazil after the political exile in the 80s, he has been engaging himself in academic activities as well as in NGOs’ actions and projects, and has also been working on studies about the anthropology of the religion, the civil society, the Public security and the Human Rights.

He was also the Executive Secretary of ISER (Institute of Studies of the Religions), from 1979 to 1991 and from 1995 to 2003. He is the author of The Vocabulary of Past Ideas – Essays about the end of Socialism (1993), Parades of Passion (1994), Private but Public (1996), and, is one of the authors of the book New Birth – the evangelic at home, in the church, and in the politics (1998). In the year 2000, he received the Pedro Ernesto Award.