Donna Burnett is a dub poet, writer, record producer, registered nurse, CEO and founder of Osujah Records and Charity Outreach Program.
Born at the historical Jubilee hospital in Kingston, Donna is the only child for her mother Rosamund Sayles. She grew up in Jones Town, bordered by Trench Town, Admiral Town, and Hannah Town in Kingston 12. Donna lived in other areas in Kingston like Harbor View, Patrick City, Portmore in St Catherine, but she always returned to her roots in Jones Town where her great grandmother, Aunt B resided. Donna was captivated by music at a very early age and was inspired by the musical talents of Aunt B, who played the accordion or flutena as she called it, when she sang and danced. Donna shared aunt B’s passion for music as well as her compassion for those who suffered. Together they ministered to the needy, sick, and hungry in the community, which included people as well as animals. Aunt B adopted a sickly infant “AJ” born to a mentally ill and homeless woman. AJ was the closest Donna came to having a brother. Mrs. Ivy, Donna’s grandmother, played the piano and sang soprano in the church choir. Her uncle owned a sound system “Touch of Class.” Surrounded by adults, in a strict environment, Donna was often lonely and listened to music, wrote lyrics, poetry, sang, DJ’d and read extensively. English was her best subject.
Donna Burnett attended Queen’s High School, in St Andrew, and worked at the Ministry of Education at National Heroes Circle upon graduation. An avid fan of Bob Marley, she was deeply saddened by his death in 1981, and attended his viewing at the National Arena in Jamaica, where she paid her last respects to the Jamaican Icon. Donna was impressed with the Rastafarian movement at the time but never wore dreads or considered Haile Selassie as God. Donna was a firm believer in the Christian religion; however, she was more of an opinionated radical. In 1985, shortly after the birth of her first child, Donna migrated to the United States. She served in the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and Pharmacy Technician for 11 years. She obtained a BS degree in Nursing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she also pursued classes in music, poetry and writing. Donna also works as a Registered Nurse.
Determined to finance her own Record Company, due to unequal opportunity for women in the Music Industry, Donna opened her first studio at her home in Beverly, St Ann, which she later moved to Main St. Priory, St Ann. She chose St. Ann because it was the birth place of her great grandmother, as well as that of the legendary leader, and National Hero, The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, another of Donna’s literary mentors. She also loves being close to the ocean.
The name Osujah was inspired through a prophetic vision with the divine revelation of her calling as a Levite, as can be noted in Joshua 21 of The Holy Bible. Joshua has been scrambled to create Osujah. Donna intends to be a driving force to be reckoned with in upcoming years, providing the medium through which voices can be heard and represented, where the lost can be lead, the hungry fed, the needy satisfied, and the broken mend.
Osujah Record’s latest project is a Reggae compilation entitled ‘Vybz In The Sun.’ It features two tracks from Lady Donna, namely; ‘Reject Failure’ and ‘Save A Life’ which features Alpancho. Persons wanting to work with Donna may do so by sending an email to osujah21@yahoo.com
