With what one has one seeks one's goals. See the following entry. The saying is more a play on the syllables ba-ba (both with regard to the different tones it can bear, and taking advantage of its different meanings) than a real proverb. Bàbà means guinea-corn, and owó-o-baba (literally “guinea-corn money”) means copper coin, because guinea-corn is copper-colored.
With what one has one seeks one's goals. See the following entry. The saying is more a play on the syllables ba-ba (both with regard to the different tones it can bear, and taking advantage of its different meanings) than a real proverb. Baba means guinea-corn, and owo-o-baba (literally “guinea-corn money”) means copper coin, because guinea-corn is copper-colored.